Fake I Love You's and Goodbye's
by linax24
Summary: He is arrogant and selfish. She is stubborn and opinionated. He is the fire and she is the fuel. It's a thin line between love and hate. / AU
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The thirty-year-old brunette stormed out of the office building like a lightning bolt. He tackled the top button of his sky-blue shirt and discarded of the complementing tie, stuffing it into a black leather bag.

The cobalt blue of his eyes glistened with fury and the sharp edges of his jawline tensed. How could she do this to him? How could anyone discard Damon Salvatore like a piece of garbage? He offered her the world. They were good together, had their whole future mapped out. And she had the audacity to replace him? Over his dead body.

Damon ran one hand over his tired face, like the motion would magically erase the reminiscence of the worst day of his life. Everybody warned him, but he didn't bother to listen. Who could ever trade a life with him for some stupid small-town model whose name no-one's ever heard of. Fucking Rose, that's who.

He needed to clear his head before it would surely explode. He needed a drink, or even better, a whole line of alcohol coming up his way. Determined to get to his best drinking spot and not afraid to kill anyone who got in his way, he made a sharp turn to the right.

"What the fuck!"

Damon called out pissed off, watching the contents of a clear plastic cup land on his chest and a petite woman stumble into him.

He looked down at his favourite shirt covered in iced-fucking-coffee and glared at the culprit standing right in front of him with an empty cup and shock painted across her innocent face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" The petite brunette apologised, frantically taking out her earbuds and staring at his soaked clothing.

"How about you fucking look where you're going!" He hissed through his teeth, peeling the wet material off his body. Did people just not give a damn about anything these days?!

"Well in all fairness you did bump into me first..." The girl countered timidly before being met with his deadly stare, which blatantly told her retrieve.

"Look, it's not a big deal." She offered with a hesitant smile. "I'll pay for the laundry wash and it will be as good as new!"

Was she being bloody serious? "Like you could afford that". Damon snickered in response. "This isn't some cheap-ass shirt from Target. A regular laundry wash would destroy it."

"It can't be that expensive." Her eyes rolled involuntarily.

He eyed the stranger up and down, and just as he expected, she knew nothing about fashion nor good quality. She was wearing a pair of simple blue jeans, white converses and a striped baggy t-shirt. She looked like she was in her early twenties, probably one of those annoying students. He didn't even care whether she was good looking or not, for all he knew she just made his day _that_ much worse.

"Oh, trust me on this one." He remarked annoyed. "Next time watch where you're going."

He sighed angrily and walked away in the direction of his black sports car. First, his long-term girlfriend dumped him for some fake excuse of a model who can't even afford a proper dinner at a proper restaurant, and then some careless woman walked straight into him and destroyed his attire.

If that wasn't bad enough, Damon was roaring inside at the thought of watching Rose sticking her tongue down her new lover boy's throat, for 10 days straight. The Salvatore Inc was celebrating its 25th anniversary in Sicily, where the founder, Damon's father, was born. All employees were invited, their tickets and accommodation paid for. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Damon was the managing director and had to be there.

Rose wouldn't miss it for the world. Money and luxury attracted her like a moth to the flame, and the douche-bag that she left Damon for just happened to be the new face of the company - so yeah, he would surely be there. Fucking perfect. This was the worst day of his life, for sure.

* * *

Damon walked into the nearest coffee shop after attending a business meeting at the firm, which consisted of him telling useless people how to do their job properly and quit getting on his nerves. Like that would ever happen. He was immensely frustrated, and hearing his secretary breathe nearly sent him off the rails. It was needless to say that he needed a break, mainly for the benefit of other people.

He picked a table next to the window, overlooking the nearby park and a water fountain. Perhaps the soothing view would ease his nerves, or not. It was worth a try. He pulled out his laptop and placed it on the surface, comfortably situating himself in the cosy grey armchair. It wasn't even noon yet, so the place was rather empty, which ultimately pleased him. Less faces to annoy him.

He was about to pick up the menu and choose a drink, when a familiar petite figure flashed in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and his sight landed on that clumsy girl that ruined his shirt the day before. Well, maybe he had overreacted a little. After all, the stain washed out just fine and there was no sign of the tragic accident.

"Hi! Can I take your order?" A blonde girl greeted him with a bright smile and a high-pitched voice. Damon found her to be way too enthusiastic, especially at this time of the day.

"I'd like a double espresso, and a blueberry muffin." He answered, no longer interested in the wide choice of things. "And I'd like that girl behind the bar to bring it to me."

The blonde looked over her shoulder and furrowed her brows, turning back to Damon. "Sorry, that's our barista. They don't bring food to the table." She explained politely but failed miserably at hiding her curiosity.

Damon stared at the waitress intently and flashed his trademark smile, stirring up a blush on her face. "I'm sure that you can make an exception for me."

His charm never did fail him.

"I'll see what I can do." She giggled, unable to refuse, and took the menu from the table before walking off.

* * *

"Elena!" Caroline squealed out excitedly and pulled her friend to the 'staff only' area.

"Care, what are you doing? I was in the middle of making a drink." She frowned, confused.

"Oh god, who cares about that stupid coffee!" She rolled her eyes and hid behind the wall, searching for a good spot to peek on the blue-eyed stranger. "There is a beautiful piece of ass out on the shop floor and he specifically asked for _you_ to serve him!"

"Okay.. I know that you're crazy, but you're really overdoing it recently. What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you check him out first and then come to me with complaints." She pointed at the table that Damon was occupying, luckily, he was fixated on the screen of his laptop, so their eyes were free to roam.

Elena's gaze followed her friends' directions and she stalled recognising the guy that she had wasted her drink on a few days before.

"OMG, you know him!" Care gasped and grabbed onto the brunette. "Why didn't you tell me that you've met such a hunk!"

"He's a jerk, not a hunk." Elena corrected, remembering how much she regretted not punching him in the face. "And I _don't_ know him, I spilled my coffee on him the other day."

"How did he know that you work here?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders, wondering the same thing. Was he really going to be that extra? It was a stupid shirt for god sake.

"Fine, he wants me to serve him? Oh, I'll serve him."

* * *

Elena approached his table with a stern face, prepared to stand her ground and show him where he can stick it. This time she wouldn't be so nice.

"What do you want?"

Damon leaned back in his chair and looked up at Elena, amused. The minute that a wide grin stretched over his lips, her face clouded with confusion. Why was he smiling? He was supposed to be mad, not nice.

"So, you do remember me." He finally spoke up.

"Well, it's not every day that you meet an 'A' grade jackass."

He licked his lips and dropped his gaze, feeling a little guilty. So, she clearly remembered _a lot_.

"I'll give you that, but you did ruin my shirt."

"And you tracked me down so that I could settle the bill for your horrendous expenses?"

He laughed out loud.

"Actually, I didn't track you down. It's just a happy coincidence that the girl who spilled coffee all over me the day before, is now serving me one." He admitted with a chuckle.

"So, what's the point of this entire conversation? As lovely as it is, of course." She wondered confused, and a little pissed that he was wasting her time.

"I guess I'm sorry for being a grade 'A' jackass. You caught me on a really bad day."

He really must have been out of it, for he did not to notice the beauty of the mystery girl. She had deep chocolate orbs that stared at him with cold judgement, sleek long brown hair tied up in a tight ponytail which accentuated her high cheekbones and soft pouty lips. She had a spark that was just waiting to be ignited.

"Okay, so now that you are forgiven and I'm finally able to move on with my life, please excuse me. There are other customers who need their drinks ruined." She faked a smile and proceeded to walk away.

Damon looked around the cafe finding no other customers and his eyebrows furrowed.

_Playing hard to get. _

"Wait! What's your name?"

"I'm sure that a guy like you can figure that out." She spared him a challenging gaze over the shoulder and winked, before leaving at last.

And just like that a phenomenal idea in his head was born.

* * *

Elena strolled up the concrete steps, with her gym bag strapped over one shoulder and music blasting from her earphones. She was exhausted after attending her regular kickboxing class straight after an 8-hour shift at the _Sunbeam_ _Cafe. _After fumbling with the keys for a few seconds, she found the keyhole and opened the door, dropping all her stuff on the floor.

"Well, that was a hell of a day." Elena sighed falling backwards onto her best friend's bed.

Bonnie switched her attention from the textbooks and swirled around on her chair to see Elena's almost lifeless body spread out on the covers. The chunky red headphones dangled around Bonnie's neck as faint music continued to play in the background. "What did Sage do this time?"

"Aside from ruining my life, not much." She sat up and crossed her legs, peeling away at the plush blanket beneath her. "Oh, she did come up with a great idea that the front of house staff will share tips with the kitchen. So, there's my summer vacation gone."

"What? No way." Bonnie commented and shared a sympathetic look with Elena. "You should kick that place to the curb, we'll find you something better in no time."

"Matt and I broke up." Elena declared out of the blue.

Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. "What?! How was that not the first thing that you told me?" She quickly hopped onto the bed and sat down next to Elena.

"How did he take it?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "You know Matt. The words ' I'm breaking up with you' could have multiple meanings for him."

"Well, _I_ for one am glad." She admitted with a grin. "You needed a change."

"Yeah, you were right. I'm too young to be settling for an orgasm a month" Elena rolled her eyes. She had withstood mediocre sex for far too long now. "I need an adventure, something crazy."

Bonnie laughed wholeheartedly as they both laid back down and stared at the ceiling in deep constellation.

"Not my words, but I'm totally on board. Any candidates?" She joked, already contemplating on a list of sexy and available guys in her head.

"Nope." She replied popping the 'p'. "Why did it take me this long to realise that Matt and I never made sense? I mean gosh, we were so boring together. I can't ever remember wanting to tear his clothes off. And he's a really good-looking guy, Bon."

"Cause Matt's the kind of guy that you take home to meet your parents, you know? He's adorable, kind, caring." Bonnie's forehead wrinkled along with the suggestion. "Plus, it really helps if you're in love with the guy. And I don't think that you ever were." She added with sarcasm.

Elena's mind searched for an answer, looking back at how they met and their entire relationship from there on. "I guess you're right. Coming to think of it, he's really like an older brother."

Bonnie cringed and slapped friend her on the arm. "Ew, Elena, you still fucked the guy. No matter how orgasm-less or tedious it was."

Elena laughed at the realisation and made a face. "My bad. You know what I would love to experience?" She asked with dreamy eyes, as she got off the bed.

"What?"

"A crazy, intense world-whirling romance. I want to be rightfully ravished, and not feel my legs the next day. Like I want someone to take one look at me and make me weak in the knees." She sighed happily, like she was already picturing it in her head. "I'm done with this mellow romance and delicate love making. Can a girl get some passion around here?"

Bonnie nodded and then replied dryly. "I'm thinking that you've been reading too much of 50 Shades of Grey."

"Hey! You're supposed to support me in all of my rational and irrational ideas." She pointed her finger at the brunette and sent her a warning stare. "If you don't, then who will?"

"Caroline - she's the crazy one." Bonnie offered with a chuckle. "Lena, you have my full support in whatever sexed up fantasy you come up with. I'm just trying to say that there aren't many Christian Grey's out there. At least not in my world."

"You're probably right." Elena released a sigh and her shoulders dropped, as if all the excitement had deflated from her. "And in response to our sad reality, I suggest that we go out and get drunk."

"I'm sure we'll find you a runner up." Bonnie winked and stood up straightening out her wrinkled clothes.

"Get Care to come."

Elena called out from the bathroom, as she turned on the shower and allowed the hot stream of water to pour over her tensed body.

* * *

The Mystic Bar was their usual place of choice, serving one of the best Tequilas in downtown Manhattan. It was dark and mysterious, almost predatory in its nature. There was nothing innocent about it - plus there was no way you'd get in without knowing the right people. This is where Caroline's media connections came in to play. So, thanks to some perks, they were now scouring the bar for potential persons of interest.

"Dang, he's so damn cute." Caroline gushed over the blonde guy standing next to the bar, with one hand securely wrapped around a pint of cold beer and talking to a group of people.

"So, let's get to know him." Elena added, reapplying is raspberry scented lip gloss to her full lips. "And get us some drinks." She sent her a mischievous look and adjusted the top of her black glittery tube dress to ensure that her cleavage was teasing with just the right amount of views.

Elena worked hard to maintain a sexy figure - kickboxing, pilates, cycling and most recently a few introductory classes to pole dancing. That and she always had the curves in all the desired places - wide hips and thighs, a ferocious cleavage and narrow waist. And she knew how to show it off, there was nothing shy about her moves. It's just that she didn't get the chance to do that when she was dating Matt.

The dress finished mid-thigh, it wasn't shamefully short, but it still nicely showed off Elena's sleek legs, which seemed endless in those dark blue heels. She decided to straighten her long brown hair, keeping it simple and sexy, whilst focusing a bit more on her makeup and doing a smoky eyeshadow and adding some individual lashes to the outer corners of her eyes. She looked like sin, and that was the aim.

The three best friends strolled up to the front of the bar, heels clicking against the marble floor and multiple heads turning as they walked past with a sway of the hips. They each took a seat on the barstools, and all it took was a few seconds for the bartender to notice them and come to their rescue. It was excruciatingly loud, with most people lost in the heat of music in the middle of the dance floor.

Elena's eyes darted to the dance floor and found multiple couples grinding their sweaty bodies against one another, dressed in such flimsy clothes they could have easily been naked, and no one would tell the difference. Whilst some people did it rather sloppily and were basically an inch from dry humping, there were others whose dance radiated with passion and there was simply something sensual about it. That kind of got Elena a little hot and bothered.

She had never danced like that before. Like a provocative temptress with nothing to lose and a guy that set her mind and body on fire. What she and Matt had was more like an old married couple - it drowned her in the feeling of comfort and safety. This time she felt like she wanted to walk on the edge of a cliff, blindfolded and completely unprepared for the fall.

"Lena, vodka and cranberry juice." Bonnie slid the drink to Elena, bringing her back to reality.

"Thanks, but I didn't order it?" She replied staring at the cocktail with confusion.

"It's from that guy over there." The bartender added, overhearing their conversation, as he pointed at someone on the other side of the bar.

The girls turned their heads with morbid curiosity, and Bonnie's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she took a good look at the person of interest. "Damn!" She exclaimed appreciatively and grinned like crazy.

"I might have been wrong about that Christian Grey thing."

"I can't believe this guy." Elena groaned internally as she recognised the blue-eyed stranger, for the second time during the day. Was this terrible luck or was he a freaking stalker?

"Elena, get your panties out of a twist." Bonnie reprimanded her friend, fully shocked. "He's dripping with sex _and_ he bought you a drink. I'm saying it's party time!"

"I've bumped into him like 3 times this week and he's a dick," her voice was laced with sarcasm. "_Looks_ is all that he is."

"So, what? You wanted good sex, not a relationship." Bonnie remarked sipping on her drink and leaning on the backs of her elbows, so that she had the perfect spot to eye them up.

"And good guys stand no chance at satisfying a woman in bed?"

"Like they say - good boys go to heaven, but bad boys bring heaven to you." She giggled voicing the cliché. "Looks like Caroline found hers."

Elena rolled her eyes at Care's blatant flirting with the cute blonde guy that she'd spotted when they arrived. She was a gorgeous blonde with bold blue eyes and confidence to get anything that she wanted. So, it looked like the mystery guy got caught in her net.

"Trust her to get a Mr Grey."

Elena mumbled swirling around the red liquid in a tall glass. She took a small sip through the straw, finding its contents tolerable and sipping on it some more. The back of her elbows rested against the table top as she stared at the stranger across the room, lost in deep thoughts. He looked so damn good, and she hadn't really noticed that about him until tonight. The first time only showed that he was an emotionless dick who treated people with no respect. The second time, well, she was sure he didn't mean a single word of his fake apology. Once a dick, always a dick. That's why she was always attracted to guys like Matt - the long-haul material, wouldn't hurt a fly. So, why was she standing there and literally devouring the guy inch by inch?

Ah, what the hell. Elena gave a nod to her thoughts and slammed the drink down, climbing off the stool and making her way across the room.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie called out puzzled.

"Be back in one sec." Elena turned around to blow her a kiss and continued to approach the target. She made sure to straighten up a little and stay steady on her feet, with her head held high.

She zoomed across the club, sliding past the tangled bodies and keeping her eyes locked on the brunette, hoping that he wouldn't get away. She reached the spot that he originally stood in, this time he was standing with his back to Elena and was clearly engaged in a conversation with someone else.

Elena poked him on the shoulder, holding in a breath and hoping to see that she found the right person.

"Ah, you again." The familiar smirk of his greeted her, as he seemed to have recognised her.

He chuckled and turned so that his attention was fully diverted onto Elena. Coming to think of it, she preferred it when he wasn't so deeply focused on her. For some reason, his gaze nearly paralysed her and all she could do was stand there and gawk at the perfection that he truly was.

"Who said that you could buy me a drink?"

She questioned, folding both arms over her chest and eyeing him up.

"Hm, and what makes you think that I bought you drink?" He stated amused.

"Quit the crap. The bartender told me that it was from you."

"Well, then maybe you should tell the bartender to quit the crap, because I did no such thing."

She let out a hard laugh, refusing to be fooled. "Seriously, you're _that_ type of guy?"

"What type of guy?" His brows lifted in curiosity.

"The one that gawks after a girl all night and then pretends like she's the crazy one and all up his business?"

"Maybe those are the kind of spunks that you surround yourself with." He commented with a chuckle and gulped down a glass of bourbon. "If I wanted you, you wouldn't have to wonder."

Elena nearly opened her mouth to fire at him again, but stalled when his words properly sunk in. Did he just say that he didn't want her? Which meant that he didn't find her attractive?

"Oh," she replied confused and took a step back from him. A blush washed over her cheeks and she cleared her throat.

"Well then, I guess we're done here."

She speedily turned on her heel and muttered something under her breath, annoyed and hugely embarrassed. Way to make a fool of herself. Maybe she wasn't so great at the flirting thing after all...

"How about that drink?" He grabbed her arm and at the same time motioned at the bartender to take his order.

"Pity drink? No thanks." She let out a hard laugh and rolled her eyes at his failed attempt at politeness. He just said that he wasn't interested, and now he was trying to get her to stay? Men. They always want what they can't have.

"Wouldn't want you to walk all this way for nothing. Can you just oblige for once?" He breathed out tiredly and passed the glass to her. Every tiniest thing felt like a challenge with this girl, she pulled at his each and every chord.

Her eyes bored into his and she decided that it wouldn't hurt to sit down for a few minutes. She strolled over to him and sat down in front of the drink that he got her.

"Wasn't so hard, was it?" He chuckled, enjoying seeing her so conflicted. When she came here with her mind set on giving him a piece of his mind, she knew just what to say. Now that she was off the tracks, she looked all cute and clumsy.

"You don't even know."

"So, you like your job?" He asked casually, out of the blue.

Her brows knitted together in confusion. "I work at a coffee shop, what's there to like?"

"Thought as much." He commented and tapped his fingers against the marble tops. "I have a business proposition for you."

"Excuse me?"

Her brown eyes widened in shock and her stare drilled into his, searching for anything that would prove that what she had on her mind wasn't what he was about to offer.

He quickly detected the disgust in her face and could swear that she was a second away from seriously injuring him.

"No, not _that_ kind of proposition." He laughed at the idea. "I'm not a pimp if that's what you're thinking."

"You're lucky, otherwise this drink would have ended up on your pretty little face." She muttered out and relaxed a little. "Continue."

"I'm not pretty. I'm hot - or sexy, or so-goddamn-breath-taking." He pointed out as the words rolled off his tongue. "Whatever you make at that coffee place, I'll pay you ten times more."

"What the hell are you made out of money or something?" She blurted out and shook her head in disbelief. "Who pays that kind of money and doesn't expect sex or whatever in return? I told you, I'm not a call-girl."

"And I told you, I'm not looking for sex. I don't have to pay anyone to sleep with me." He scolded a little angrily, it offended him that anyone could imply that Damon Salvatore needs to pay for sex.

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend for ten days." He paused for a second, glanced over at Elena who stared back at him with a blank expression. "We'd go to Italy; the flight is next Friday. I'll pay for your ticket and the hotel. You get half of the money before we leave, and the other half once we get back."

"I'm sorry, you want me to do what?" A long laugh escaped her mouth.

"To be my fake girlfriend." He repeated with a straight face.

"Do I even want to know what this is about?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "My ex cheated on me right under my nose, so I want to show her what she lost."

"So that she gets all jealous and runs back to you?"

"So that she gets all jealous, runs back to me and I turn her down." He countered.

"Ah, that's sweet of you…" She added with sarcasm and then squinted confused. "And a guy like you has no other girls that he could use for this? I don't even know your name."

He shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Damon Salvatore." He dug out a business card from his wallet and passed it to her. "Call me when you make up your mind."

He picked up his blazer and threw it over his shoulder, sending her a cheeky wink and disappearing somewhere in the crowd.

Huh... so he did buy her that drink after all.

* * *

A/N: So, what do you all think? :) This is my idea for a new story, but I want to know what you all think and if it's worth taking further. I've still got to finish up 'Home Is Where You Are', but just thought I'd share this with you all now. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy this one! xx


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Damon Salvatore, managing director of Salvatore Inc?" Bonnie read from the business card lying on the kitchen table. "What is this?"

She questioned, as Elena paraded into the kitchen wearing an oversized Winnie the Pooh tee paired a slight grimace on her face.

"It's from that guy from yesterday." Elena mumbled, scouring the fridge and taking out freshly squeezed orange juice, then pouring some into a glass.

"Yeah, but why did he give it to you? These days people just exchange phone numbers, you know." She chuckled and poured some juice for herself, leaning over the counter.

"Cause he's old-school?" Elena rolled her eyes, taking a bite from Bonnie's toast.

The hangover was real this time. After Damon had left her short for words the night before, she didn't even remember how many drinks she had and who ordered them, but she just couldn't look at the situation sober. Only once in a blue moon does a guy offer you $10K for pretending to be his girlfriend, and that's not creepy at all, right?

"Elena." Bonnie glared at her and slapped her hand away from her food. "I'll make you food, but you have to tell me what this is about. You didn't mention him at all last night." She said whilst taking out some bread and sliding it into the toaster.

"Because nothing happened." She added with a casual shrug. "He lured me over with a drink, then pretended that he didn't, and then he asked me to be his fake girlfriend for 10 days, in Italy. For some big cash. And apparently I should give him a call when I make up my mind."

"Are you kidding?" Bonnie asked with a huge grin, clearly excited by the news. "How can you be saying this with a straight face? When are you going to call him?"

Elena raised her brows. "Never? What kind of an idiotic idea is that anyway? He could be a murderer for all I know."

"Well, he could be. But hey, what a good looking one." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, but the smug look dropped at Elena's unamused expression. "Just google him, I'm sure he is who he claims to be."

Before Elena had the chance to protest, her best friend was already digging out her phone and searching for Damon's name on the internet with excitement pooling from her eyes.

While Bonnie focused on the small device in her hand, Elena rolled her eyes and took the bread out of the toaster, sadly realising that she'd have to fix her own breakfast. She reached for the Nutella jar and dug out a huge chunk of the chocolate, spreading it thickly onto the bread. Fitness was a strict regime, but healthy eating didn't always go in pair with that. Not when she had huge decisions to make.

Did she hate working at the cafe? No. Did she hate working for Sage? Yes. Was this her dream job? Hell no. Perhaps it wasn't as clear cut as she thought, but now she really had the chance to quit and live a little. She could finally earn more than enough money to get her through the summer without having to do crazy hours at a pointless job. And a long-lived dream of travelling around Europe could finally become a reality. But was Damon Salvatore too high of a price to pay?

"Yes!" Her best friend exclaimed proudly and passed the phone to Elena. "Told you that he wasn't lying. The company is legit, and so is he. His photos are all over the web, apparently Salvatore & Co is a pretty successful media agency."

"That doesn't mean anything." Elena argued scrolling through the photos. Damon looked too good to be true, but she knew all too well that his looks were even more impressive in person.

"Actually, why does he need a fake girlfriend?" Her friend mused in curiosity. "I'm sure there's plenty of girls in line just waiting to be his flame of the month."

"Yeah, you being the first one." Elena added with a small laugh. "He said that he wants to make his ex-jealous, so there's that."

"Now, this is getting interesting. Come on, give him a call! What harm can it do to just meet the guy for a coffee and talk about his insane proposition? Whilst you drool over his deadly good looks."

* * *

Elena didn't know when or how she found herself on the way to meet with Damon. She called and he answered, although secretly she had hoped that he had changed his mind and wouldn't even think twice of the proposition. Maybe it was a drunken joke or something that he wouldn't even remember the next day, but nope. Damon was indeed waiting on that call, as the tone that laced his voice suggested. It was short and quick, keeping it to the point - he chose the place, the time and here she was, about to make this insanity a reality.

By the time she had arrived at the cafe Damon was already waiting for her, impeccably dressed in a dark grey suit and a crisp white shirt. He noticed Elena's presence almost instantly, and when their eyes met her knees turned into marshmallows. Why did he have to be so intimidating? She dropped her gaze and basically power walked to the table, wishing to get this awkward encounter over and done with.

"I didn't think you'd actually call, _Elena_." He enunciated the syllables and her name rolled off his tongue like a symphony.

His face was plastered with that flirty smirk, and his daring gaze focused on her far too intensely, as she took a seat opposite him.

" And you figured out my name." She pointed out intrigued.

"Let's just say that your friend didn't need a lot of convincing."

Caroline. Of course, she probably cracked the minute Damon took notice of her. But Elena didn't blame her, if it wasn't for their first encounter, she too would have been phased by the blue-eyed beauty.

"So, now you're stalking my friends too?"

"I'm stalking you?" He chuckled huskily and leaned his arms on the table, bringing his presence closer to Elena.

"What else would you call this? Everywhere I go, you magically turn up there." She challenged and crossed her arms over the chest.

"How about fate?" He offered before releasing a short laugh. "I'm messing around. I don't believe in that shit. But not to go off topic, it's hardly stalking if you're the one who called me."

"You're incorrigible." She rolled her eyes, but Damon ignored her remark and simply gestured at the waitress to come over.

"What are you going to drink?" He asked nonchalantly as the waitress arrived at their table, acting way too giddily and nervous around Damon.

"Probably too early for vodka." Elena murmured with a sigh, in response to which Damon laughed. "I'll have a latte, please."

"And an espresso for me, thanks." He winked at the girl, who somehow seemed out of breath at the mere sight of him.

"So, you called me because you agree to my offer or are you here with undercover police?" He smiled at her wryly.

"You know, that was my first thought, but my roommate talked me out of it." She said half-jokingly, thinking of the pepper spray in her purse, just in case . "I want to know more about your… offer."

"You and me, Italy - ten days, a 5-star resort, a few hot kisses here and there. Sweet and loving glances to one another and you get paid a shit load of money. What's more to know?"

_Everything_.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Rose cheated on me, then left me for that same guy and I'm honestly not in the mood to watch them exchange saliva for ten days straights." He replied dryly. "She's one of my dad's favourite employees, so getting rid of her isn't an option. But, making her realise what she lost _is_ a viable option, and that's precisely what you're here for."

"How do you know that it's going to work?" Elena continued unconvinced. "After all she left you for that guy, right? So, she must be in love."

"Rose likes to eat her cake and have it too. The minute she realises I'm serious about someone else, she'll lose her shit and try to win me back."

"Why me?"

"You're hot." He added bluntly. "Besides, you're clearly not a fan of mine. And nothing breeds more passion than hate, so it will be too damn easy to convince everyone of our newfound love."

"There's nothing passionate about my feelings towards you, trust me." She scuffed in response.

Damon asked, his attention shifting to the waitress who just bought over their drinks. "So, are you in or not?"

"I don't know what I hate more; you or my shitty job." A dash of irony laced her tone, as she stirred her coffee before taking a small sip.

"At least we know what pays better." He wiggled his eyebrows and the amusement reached his icy blue eyes.

Elena stared at him blankly for a few seconds, already set on refusing his offer. His answers provided her with no more clarity than she had before, and his cockiness really grazed with her personality. Then came the thought of that stupid wash of regret that would come over her if she chickened out and went back to her boring old life.

"Fine. I guess I'm in."

"Perfect - I'm not accepting any take backs." He exclaimed with a grin, and she wasn't sure if he was so pleased because she had agreed or if it was just down to his master plan working out. "I'll pick you up from your place on Friday, text me your address, shoe size and dress size."

"Why?" She asked confused.

"Come on Elena, you're going there to impress people." He exclaimed bluntly, making her feel stupid for asking. It became more and more apparent that they lived in two different worlds. "I doubt you could that in anything that you already own."

"Seriously, I'm an inch away from punching you in the face." She hissed at him.

"Aren't you just a feisty little thing." He observed, making it sound like it was a compliment. "You're gorgeous and all, but my kind of people are more on the materialistic side."

"Ah, you mean snobs like you?" She blurted out unable to stop herself. "They sound lovely, for sure."

"Well you're dating one now, so try and act like I'm not Satan."

"Fake dating." She quickly corrected him with a soft glare. "And as far as I'm aware, we're not in Italy yet."

"Touché".

* * *

Her eyes followed Damon's silhouette as it disappeared somewhere into the distance, as he left her buzzed with thoughts once again. She took a huge leap of faith and jumped into the opportunity, agreeing to something that felt so risky, but did risky mean wrong? She had been right for too long - always responsible, always devoted, always predictable.

Life had to be more than that. Maybe it _was_ about making big mistakes, taking the high road, falling in love with the wrong person, doing things that scare the crap out of you. After all, what kind of stories would she pass on to her grandchildren?

Right… Marriage, kids, a garden with a white picket fence - those things would happen eventually. Obviously not with Matt, he was never the answer. Certainly not with a guy like Damon. But somewhere out there, there had to be someone made just for her.

* * *

**Friday**

The past few hours were a blur as Elena rushed all over the apartment, gathering everything that she thought was necessary for the trip and then changing her mind and throwing it out ten seconds later. None of the clothes that she already owned seemed good enough to fit the bill of a disgustingly rich life, and honestly the thought of relying on Damon to choose her entire wardrobe sent a shiver down her spine.

They exchanged a few texts here and there, but the situation still felt surreal. Was she really going to go through with this? It became quite real last morning when she received the first half of the money into her bank account. Flying over the globe with a complete stranger and simply hoping for the best was a perfect recipe for disaster, or an edgy start to a thriller. This convinced Elena not to share the news with many people, in fact it was only Bonnie and Caroline who knew about the trip.

It was nearly time for her to leave, Bonnie sat on the kitchen counter swinging her legs back and forth in a relaxed manner, acting like she was the one who should have been going away on this adventure. "Passport?" She reminded her best friend.

Elena nodded, as she slid the document into the back pocket of her backpack. "Check."

"Camera?"

"Bonnie," she breathed out annoyed. "I have one in my phone, these aren't the 90's."

"Whatever," Bonnie rolled her eyes in response and finally looked up at Elena. "And last but not least, a positive attitude?"

Bonnie continued to stare at her, waiting for her to say something, but Elena just stared back at her with a blank expression. The huge black suitcase shielded her side and the backpack already hung over her shoulder. If Damon was a man of his word, he should be arriving any minute now.

"I feel like I'm about to lose my virginity, so take a wide guess." Elena finally mumbled beneath her breath, as her iPhone vibrated in the back pocket of her jeans.

_**Be there in five.**_

The green eyed brunette hopped off the counter and walked up to Elena, placing both hands on her shoulders in a sign of comfort. "Lena, this is going to be a great adventure! Just think of the one hell of a summer that you're going to have once you get back." She smiled brightly, hoping to pass on the positive energy.

"Okay, maybe you're right." Elena conceded with a tight smile. "He should be outside already, so give me a big hug and wish me luck."

Bonnie nodded and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Call me as soon as you get there and be careful! Anything goes wrong and we're booking the first flight back. Okay?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be calling every free second I get." She admitted with a small laugh, before pulling away and reaching for the door.

"_Please_ remember there's a time difference."

"Nope, don't care. Bye!" Elena exclaimed unbothered and waved, before disappearing behind the doors.

* * *

Damon slid his phone back into the pocket, seeing the clumsy brunette stumbling out of the building dragging one massive suitcase behind her and holding the heavy door with one hand. He quickly hopped out of the car and ran up to her, offering to take the load off and leaning his weight against the doors. She looked up at him, seeming to be a little out of breath, but relieved to see him.

"Thanks." She muttered out, pushing the loose strands of hair behind the ear and forcing a tight smile.

"You're here." He pointed out with a grin, honestly, he half expected her to not show up.

"A deal is a deal, right?" She reasoned with a small smile, passing the bag over and watching him load it into the trunk of the car.

The short-sleeved shirt revealed his contracting biceps, and inevitably Elena's stare roamed all over the rest of his well-built body, in deep admiration. It baffled her how each time that she saw him his good looks only seemed to amplify. The realisation dawned on her, as she began to think that maybe this whole plan will go to hell - who would believe that a man like _that _could fall in love with a girl like her?

"There's always a window in that plane though, so it's not like I don't have an escape plan." She taunted with a grin, as Damon opened the passenger door for her.

"Are you saying that you'd rather die than be stuck with me for a few days?" He challenged with a raised eyebrow, as he settled himself into the driver's seat.

"I'm saying that it's good to have options."

"Women tend to throw themselves at me, not run the other way." He pointed out confidently, allowing his eyes to linger on her for a few moments.

She shifted uneasily under his gaze and cleared her throat before responding. "Would you believe me if I told you that you're just not my type?"

"It's not about having a type. It's about the attraction, Elena."

"And I'm not attracted to you, Damon." She quickly reiterated.

"Fine then," he continued unphased by her words. "So, tell me, what type of guy do you find attractive."

"Oh, I don't know, how about a nice one?" She said in an annoyed manner, and then fell silent for a moment, contemplating on an actual answer. It wasn't a question that she had ever answered before. It either felt right or it didn't, what did it matter if he was blonde and short or brunette and tall.

"Cute, trustworthy, funny." She settled on at last.

Damon groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, it sounds like you're describing a puppy."

"My ex, actually."

This seemed to have captured his attention. "And what went wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"If he was the perfect guy then why did things not work out?"

Elena sighed, yet again searching for an answer. Truthfully, she didn't know why she had dumped Matt - things were great between them. It was a spur of the moment thing, she finally felt the courage to voice the dark thoughts that had invaded her mind and _boom_, their relationship was over.

"Relationships don't always work out." She replied honestly. "It wasn't his fault, he really tried to make it work."

Damon pondered over her answer as neither of them said a word, before he continued making his point. "Now do you get it? A certain type of person might initially capture your attention, but it's the attraction that makes you stay."

"Okay, are we here to psychoanalyse my love-life or to help you repair yours."

"No, you're here to look pretty and smile. There's nothing to repair." He reminded her. "We need to come up with some bullshit story on how crazy in love we are and how we met."

"I'm sure you have a couple of those up your sleeve."

"How old are you?"

"Why, worried that you might be on the run with a minor?" She snickered jokingly, turning to look at Damon, who seemed to be amused by her joke.

"I'm 23, going on to do my last year of English Literature at Boston University."

"Good, I like intelligent women." He acknowledged with a nod. "And it will piss Rose off even more that you're younger." He laughed to himself before refocusing on the core of the conversation. "By the way, we're going to skip the part where you used to work as a waitress. No one needs to know that."

Just when Elena thought that he wasn't as bad he painted himself to be, all hopes of that vanished.

"Let's say we met through a mutual friend - bumped into each other at the gym, then before we knew it sparks were flying. At the time I was with Rose so nothing happened, but we rekindled sometime recently and just can't keep our hands off each other. Got it?"

"So, you magically fell in love with me in a matter of days?" Elena asked with a raised brow. "That's hard to believe."

"Guess we'll just have to be extra convincing then." He whispered huskily, causing her to shiver.

* * *

Elena's body relaxed into the seat, as she sat with her feet crossed and hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. The music softly played on the radio and filled in the silence, as the nine-hour flight left them both feeling quite wearily, and the hot steam of air that welcomed them into Italy only made them more tired.

She stared out the window as they passed through fields of sunflowers that beamed brightly in the soft rays of sunshine, tilting their heads towards its source. The sultry green grass provided for a sharp contrast, with an angelic blue sky watching over the view, ever so calmly. Somehow life in Italy seemed so much more beautiful, so simple. The birds were singing and roaming the sky carelessly, there were no skyscrapers to act as an obstruction, no such a thing as rush hour or traffic.

She tried to focus on the beauty of simplicity, something that was so scarce that it almost seemed too good to be true, but the corner of her eye couldn't help but focus on Damon's presence. His posterior seemed more relaxed than before, the window was rolled down and the gentle breeze dishevelled the strays of his raven black hair. He had one hand sternly placed on the steering wheel and the other resting over his right knee, daringly close to Elena's leg. She watched the protruding veins on the face of his hand, a sign that he was also a little too warm for comfort, but the softness of his skin nearly screamed at her to reach out and touch it.

"Gawking much?"

Damon asked with a smirk, his eyes remaining on the road ahead.

"I am not gawking." Elena said with a gasp, instantly shifting her body away from him.

"Of course, you're not." He teased innocently and cleared his throat a little. "We're nearly there, make sure to keep up the gawking and lovey-dovey eyes and we'll have everyone convinced in no time."

"Keep up with the comments and I'll be flying back home in no time." She muttered out with a cold glare.

"Oh really, you're going to walk back to the airport?" He scuffed. "Good luck with that, it's 37 degrees out there. Perhaps if you go topless someone might give you a ride."

"You know what the problem with you is? The minute you open your mouth and start talking, the whole magical aloof goes to hell."

Damon snickered annoyed. "Oh please, continue to enlighten me Miss-I'm too perfect for this world and know everything better than everyone."

She looked at him with unwavering eyes. "What the hell! I _never_ said that."

"You're judgy, stubborn and dead convinced that your way is the right way." He countered unbothered.

Elena's eyes widened in shock. "And clearly stupid for doing you this favour!"

"Oh, my bad, am I not paying you for this favour?"

Elena huffed out an annoyed sigh, and it took all the strength to bite her tongue and stop herself from saying anything else. _10 days, Elena, only 10 days. _The nerve on that jerk. If _she_ was judgmental, then what the hell did that make him? The urge to touch him suddenly turned into an urge to strangle him, so she refocused on the views outside, internally counting to ten and waiting for the anger to pass.

The rest of the trip dragged on for what felt like an eternity, with neither of them exchanging a word and refusing to look in each other's direction. They finally pulled up in front of a huge luxurious resort surrounded by acres of land and a distant view of the ocean. A couple of the hotel staff stood at the entrance wearing tailored and smart uniforms, awaiting their new guests. It was classy and elegant, not as extravagant as Elena had prepared herself for, but it was a positive surprise.

As soon as Damon parked the rented car, the bell-boys arrived at their side to collect the luggage and show them the way to the main reception. The glass doors led to a moderate hall, with marble white floors and grey walls, three velvet green sofas situated to their left, and a white front desk decorated with a bouquet of flowers. Judging by the way that Damon strolled his way through confidently and without paying attention to the surroundings, this couldn't have been his first time at the hotel.

"Hello Mr Salvatore, it's good to see you again." The red-head greeted them with a bright smile from behind the reception counter.

"Good to see you too, Lauren."

Elena rolled her eyes, as she listened to the girl fawn over Damon and giggle at his every word. Apparently doing that 'eye-thing' that apparently worked on everybody. She wondered whether he already had his way with her or was about to.

"This is your key-card Mr Salvatore, to reach your room please use the elevator and head to the 4th floor. From there on, turn left and go down the corridor, until you reach room number 67. We wish you a lovely stay at the Salvatore Plaza."

The words rolled off her tongue like a melody, an act that was second nature to her now, as she smiled politely at the both of them. Damon simply nodded his head in an acknowledging gesture and walked off in accordance with the receptionist's directions, not caring to see if Elena was following. The girl sent her a sympathetic look and Elena power walked to catch up with him, cursing him under her breath.

"Couldn't be any more obvious if you tried."

She commented nonchalantly as they stepped into the elevator.

"Practicing the jealousy act already?" A short laugh escaped him.

"If you want people to think that I'm your girlfriend then perhaps not flirting with other girls would be a smart move."

"You consider that flirting? You really haven't seen much, have you."

She ignored his comment and fired the next words. "So, have you fucked her already or nah?"

"You know, if it was up to me then I probably would have done so by now. But, considering that I am her boss I don't think that I should." He shrugged his shoulders whilst typing away on his phone.

Elena's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, as she lost her train of thought. "This is _your_ hotel?"

"One of many."

_Salvatore Plaza, you idiot. It's in the name! _She nodded as she processed the information, feeling the embarrassment washing over her. Employee or not, he clearly had a thing for the girl - or the girl had a thing for him... why did that even matter? He was free to do whatever he pleased. And Elena did _not _care if he kept it in his pants or not.

* * *

The small apartment was beautiful - bright and spacious, with an astonishing view of the calm blue sea in the distance. That was not the problem, however, the number of beds _was_ a problem - at least for Elena.

She stormed into the bathroom that was currently being occupied by Damon, but she didn't even bother with knocking. He knew all too well what he had coming.

"Damon, where is my room?" She demanded in a tight voice.

He looked at her like he had no idea what she was referring to. "You were standing in it, before you decided to barge in here."

"There's only one bed here, so where do you expect me to sleep?" She urged annoyed, watching him continuing to shave in a disinterested manner.

"It's a king-size bed, Elena. Is that not good enough for you?" He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Not if you're going to be sharing it with me." Her tone was laced with anger, and her stare shot daggers at him.

"I mean, you can sleep on the couch if you want." He suggested amused by the situation - seeing Elena all pent up like this over nothing only made it that much more fun to mess with her.

"No way. You should be the one sleeping on the couch!"

He rolled his eyes and sighed, placing the shaver down on the bathroom counter and finally turning around to face her.

"We both know that you shared the bed with a guy before. So, I think that it's perfectly fine for us to share one too." He reasoned calmly but anticipated that she was going to fight him on this one. "Now, I'm not going to touch you, I already told you that. But if you want to build a pillow wall or sleep on the couch that's up to you."

"Asshole." She said angrily, turning on her heel and storming out of the bathroom.

* * *

Elena looked up from the magazine that she was reading, watching Damon drag in one of his bags and placing it next to her side of the bed.

"What is this?"

"These are all your new things, a few dresses, shoes, jewelry." He sent her a nudging look. "My assistant picked them out, so they should be a good fit."

"Right, I forgot." She admitted with a nod.

"I told you I'd get them for you." He rolled his eyes. "Now chop-chop, dinner is at 6. We'll meet everyone there, wear that burgundy dress. I'll be back soon."

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for being absent for a while. I'd like to thank you for your amazing feedback for the first chapter of this story - whilst the plot has been explored by others, I plan to have my own take on it and do it a little differently. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know your thoughts :) For anyone wondering, I will be updating my other story 'Home is Where You are' soon - I haven't forgotten, I just had this chapter prepared before. Thank you for your patience and amazing support! I will try and reply to your comments individually this time. Take care guys! x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The satin material of the burgundy dress perfectly hugged Elena's body, tracing down from the narrow waist and clinging to the smooth curves of her hips, and finally cascading right down to her ankles. The back was left completely bare, with two spaghetti straps connecting down the sides of her back. She looked stunning - Damon, or more so his assistant, knew a thing or two about fashion. For a minute she wondered if the mastermind behind this would find her just as captivating. Surely, Damon was used to nothing less when it came to beauty standards.

At first, she was skeptical about Damon's choice of clothing, as she scoured through the massive bag and stumbled across some very skimpy dresses. They were mainly short, tight and revealing - almost certainly provocative when paired with those five-inch Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choi's. There was no way she'd be wearing them anytime soon, especially not around Damon - there was absolutely no point, any desire to taste the Salvatore finesse had evaporated the minute she got to know him. Once the charade will be over, they will go back to being perfect strangers.

"Wow, you look beautiful." She heard Damon exclaim in awe, as his intense gaze met hers in the mirror.

The sound of his hoarse voice caused goose bumps to spread over her body, as she stood frozen in this position.

"Thanks." She muttered out nervously, feeling his body shift closer to her. The warmth of his breath danced along the back of her neck, as her throat felt dried up and the ability to breathe had seemed to vanish.

"Elena?" He repeated.

"Huh?" She shook her head as if she was waking up from a deep dream.

Damon chuckled and reached for a square velvet box, opening it to reveal a delicate silver necklace. "I asked if I can put this on you."

Elena forcefully pulled her gaze away from him and observed the jewellery in his hand, concluding that it would be a beautiful finishing touch to the dress. Maybe he was better in this than she thought.

"Yeah, of course." She nodded, gathering the loose hair and exposing the back of her neck.

The palms of his hands gently graced over her collarbone and the cold piece of jewellery spread out elegantly around her neck. Elena timidly watched their reflection in the mirror, observing the small lines of concentration forming on his forehead as he clasped the necklace together. To the naked eye they looked like a couple - the proximity, the quiet breaths, a pull of attraction that was almost palpable.

She breathed a small sigh and frowned internally at the stupid thoughts circling her mind. There were moments like this that generally made her feel like Damon might be an alright guy, like she could get caught up in him for a second or two. But these flashes were momentarily, Damon was not this guy, and she couldn't let herself forget that.

"Perfect." He murmured and stepped away, putting some distance between them. "Ready to go?"

Elena gave him a nod as she grabbed her clutch. "Yep."

He offered out his arm for Elena to grasp onto, which she accepted hesitantly. Luckily, he didn't want to hold her hand, the sweaty palms would give her away, and Damon would have a blast knowing how nervous she was. They walked down the hall engaged in a mundane conversation, for some reason he didn't bring up the upcoming party and people that they would be meeting, maybe he sensed that she was tense.

When they arrived downstairs the lobby was already filling up with unfamiliar faces and the waiters were diving through the crowds, handing out glasses of Rose champagne. Elena noticed Damon's eager stare scouring through the room as soon as they walked out of the elevator, she assumed that he was already searching for his ex-girlfriend. Some words were already at the tip of Elena's tongue, but she settled on keeping those to herself.

If it were up to her, she'd go for a completely different tactic. He was supposed to act as if he didn't care about Rose, but his actions told a different story. But how Damon was or wasn't acting did not, or should not concern her, after all she was only making the guest star appearance in Damon's life.

As they made their way across the hall with Damon's arm closely linked around her waist and smiles plastered on their faces, he introduced her to a few people along the way, proudly marking Elena as his girlfriend. With a few sips of the champagne she eased into her role, withstanding his company just fine and even sharing a few laughs. The envious stares of all the women did not go unnoticed, and Elena had to admit they looked good together.

"There's the first smile of the day." Damon pointed out with a wink, handing her another glass of beverage. "I knew you had it in you."

She accepted the drink and laughed at his comment. "Don't make me sound like a moody bitch."

He leaned his back against the bar counter, sipping on the newly acquired bourbon.

"Sorry, guess you had me fooled."

She looked down, swirling the liquid around as a tight smile formed on her face.

"I'm not normally like this."

"Well, are you pregnant?" He randomly asked before gulping down some of his drink.

"Excuse me?" Elena grimaced looking up at him. If this was his way of being funny, it sure as hell did not work.

He lifted his hands in defeat with an amused expression. "They all say pregnant women are moody. But hey, what do I know?"

She sighed and shook her head. "No, Damon, I am _not_ pregnant. You just happen to infuriate me." She gave him the most fake smile.

Damon nodded taming down a grin. He placed the drink down and turned to his side, resting one elbow on the counter. "Doesn't matter if you feel hate or love, you pour your entire self into it."

"That's deep coming from you." She added with a raised brow.

"Oh, trust me, I could fill you up to the hilt." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, licking over the bottom lip.

Elena's mouth formed into a little 'o' shape and she quickly smacked him on the arm. "You can't go around saying things like that!"

More like he shouldn't be putting that image in _her_ head. She felt flustered at the mere mention of their bodies becoming one and finding out just exactly how it would feel to taste him.

"You are my girlfriend, aren't you?" He smirked, leaning in and placing a sweet kiss on her flushed cheek.

"Okay, lover boy." She placed her hand on his stern chest, creating the needed distance between them. "I think you've reached your limit of alcohol for tonight."

"Shh, Rose is coming." He hissed at her, securing a hand on her waist.

To a passer-by they seemed like a couple sharing an intimate moment. His hand was gently tracing patterns on her hip, nearly touching her ass and even if Elena tried to, she could not remember for the life her of her what day and month it was. The warmth of his hands almost burned through the delicate material of her dress, or maybe it was her body that was burning up, she couldn't tell. Whatever it was, it had Elena all riddled up, and with the way that Damon's blue eyes focused on her and nothing else, she could really kiss him right now.

"Damon, I didn't expect to see you." Rose said in an overly sweet and innocent tone.

Elena caught a glimpse of the petite brunette standing behind Damon, as upon hearing her voice he turned around, pretending to be surprised by her presence.

Elena took a good look at Rose, finding her to be quite pretty. She had a petite figure, had short brown hair and pale green eyes - she looked too delicate and full of tact, which is not how she imagined Damon's ex-girlfriend. For some reason bleached blonde hair, huge fake boobs and a skimpy leather dress seemed more of a fit for Damon.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He exclaimed with a chuckle, seeming unbothered. Elena noticed how his eyes did not roam over Rose's body like they did over hers earlier this evening, which she took as a good sign. Maybe even a compliment.

Rose shifted uneasily, taken back by his coldness towards her. "Oh, Giuseppe was sure that you wouldn't show up."

"We were unsure of Elena's schedule, but all worked out well in the end." He explained briskly, as Elena stood beside him awkwardly.

She didn't know if this was the time to throw herself on him, mark her territory or act like she was clueless. To her relief Damon took it upon himself to move the conversation forward by introducing the two.

"Oh, my bad," he said with a fake hint of forgetfulness, "Elena this is my co-worker Rose, and Rose, this is Elena, my girlfriend."

Rose gave it her best shot at having a genuine smile, but it looked more forced than sincere. They exchanged a rushed handshake and stared at each other uneasily. Elena couldn't pinpoint whether it was jealousy or the element of surprise, but there was a hint of sadness in those green orbs, and she was sure that Damon wouldn't miss that.

"It's nice to meet you, Rose." Elena added as she cuddled up to his side. She felt like it was a bitchy move towards Rose, but one that Damon would appreciate.

Rose nodded as her stare lingered on Damon's arm caressing Elena's side. "Yeah, you too."

"Well, excuse us, I'm sure my father is waiting on us." Damon excused himself, allowing Elena to walk ahead of him as he smiled widely at his stunned ex.

"Didn't take you too long to move on." He heard Rose mumble out, quietly enough so that Elena couldn't hear.

"You're one to talk."

* * *

Despite Elena's unsolicited fears, the atmosphere was fun and laid back. Damon made the effort to introduce her to most of the people, and she happily noticed that none of them resembled the Damon that she bumped into when she spilled her coffee - they were extremely nice and seemed taken by her personality. It felt good to be in their presence and having to be around Damon didn't turn out to be so horrible either. He was on his best behaviour, acting like a total gentleman and running around like a lost puppy to make sure she had everything she wanted - and this was undoubtedly due to the eager eyes of Rose pinned on the two of them the entire evening. Either way, it felt good to have someone treat you like a princess.

It was also obvious to Damon that he had made the right choice picking Elena for the role, everyone was eating from the palm of her hand. He was aware of her beauty before, but tonight she showed true class and exceeded his expectations. He hadn't missed how nervous she was leading up to the party, which led him to have some doubts seeing how inexperienced she was, but all proved to be wrong.

Following the main dinner and dessert, the DJ began playing more upbeat music inviting the crowd to move over to the dance floor, and Damon eagerly accepted the invitation. He stood up from his chair, offering his hand to Elena, with a smug smile. Unsure whether he just wanted to dance or if this was another part of his fake show, Elena just returned the smile and placed her hand in his, following in suit.

Damon's hands quickly found themselves on the lower part of her back, as he slowly pulled her body against his. This left Elena's arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, which she sensed is where he wanted them all along. Once again, this evening they ended up in a compromising position, as their hips swayed to the rhythm of the music, their eyes solely focused on one another. The smell of his cologne invaded all her senses, it was musky and had a hint of mint, it was so damn masculine.

"So, how did I do?" He mused, his lips curved upwards into the mischievous smirk.

She smiled, pondering over her answer. "Better than I expected."

"Are you saying that I'm boyfriend material?"

"Don't mistake that for a genuine liking of you." She corrected him with a smirk." You're still a jackass."

He rolled his eyes, as her stubbornness continued to grow. "Why is it so hard to admit that I'm not the bad guy that you make me out to be?"

"I'm not making you out to be anything you're not, Damon. The only reason you're being this nice to me is because Rose is watching."

Damon eyes narrowed in, and he briefly considered disagreeing, but ultimately, he shrugged her comment off dismissively.

"Is she looking now?" He whispered into her ear, lowering his lips to her neck and placing a chaste kiss.

The feel of his silky-smooth lips against her neck startled Elena, especially considering that this was her weak spot and with all the alcohol going straight to her head, she really wouldn't mind if he continued his actions.

Elena forcefully pulled her gaze away from Damon and looked around the room, finding Rose discretely staring at them. She gave him a small nod in answer to his question, feeling too nervous to speak up. They exchanged a lingering glance, as Damon lowered his lips to Elena's, innocently pecking them at first, as if he was seeking permission to proceed further.

She intertwined both hands at the nape of his neck, pulling him in and giving the ultimate go-ahead. Their mouths finally crushed together, and god his lips were so soft and so warm. She felt him smile against her mouth, his minty fresh breath and the bourbon tasted damned good and dangerous when mixed together. Feeling brave Elena nipped at his bottom lip, and in no time his tongue was in her mouth, dancing with hers, lost in the passion.

Her hands were buried her hands in his hair, ruffling at it as her fingertips gently massaged his head. This gained her a small purr, and it was easily the sexiest sound she'd ever heard, and it drove her crazy thinking about how he would sound moaning out her name. No one had ever kissed her like that before. She hated herself for enjoying it, and what was worse is that she didn't want him to stop kissing her. Elena's head was spinning, and her knees were nearly giving out, she suddenly felt glad that Damon was holding her in his arms, keeping her steady on her feet.

It was unclear at which point they stopped dancing and started making out in the middle of the dance-floor, their surroundings were blurred out and right now it felt like there was nobody else in the room.

* * *

As soon as the doors fell shut behind them, Elena breathed out a sigh of relief, glad the first day was behind them. Her head still felt a little fuzzy but realising how much the alcohol had lowered her inhibitions, she decided that her limit had been reached right after their dance.

Maybe it was the extra strong Italian beverages, or Damon's intoxicating presence that tipped the scales over, but either way her bold moves came as a shock. She would have never pegged herself to be the one willing to put out on the first date, and this wasn't even a real date, so to say that she was surprised by her thoughts would be a huge understatement.

"We put on a good show tonight." Damon chuckled, detangling the knot in his tie and throwing it onto the armchair.

"Did you see her face? She was so pissed! I didn't think this would be so easy." He continued as he rejoiced in their victory, clearly replaying events of the night in his head.

"Yeah, you really gave it all you had." Elena muttered out with sarcasm, leaning on the chair to remove the high-heels from her tired feet.

He stood up with that typical smirk plastered on his face, as his hands began undoing the buttons on his shirt. "I must say you were quite convincing yourself. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you wanted to do it right there in front of everyone."

That only meant two things, one: apparently, she _didn't_ know any better, and two; Damon was more intuitive than she gave him credit for.

She laughed nervously, trying hard not to stare at the perfectly rigged abs peeking from his now open shirt. "Well, that was my role wasn't it?"

"Played perfectly well." His eyes narrowed. "Still wouldn't hurt to practice some more, just in case." He murmured, his voice was hoarse and all sultry, making it sound like a good idea.

"Ah-oh, you said I'm off limits behind closed doors." She said a little too sternly, pointing a warning finger at him. Was this supposed to be a reminder for Damon or herself? "I'm going to have a shower." She declared on the way to the bathroom.

"Say one word and I'll happily oblige, Elena." He suggested confidently, winking at her. She rolled her eyes at him, fed up with his innuendos, and locked the bathroom door without saying another word.

Elena felt instant peace as she rested her head against the door, which made for a perfect physical and mental barrier between her and Damon. This was finally the moment of silence that she needed. The perfect opportunity to scold herself for enjoying that kiss too much.

How was it even possible for Damon to have this much effect on someone? She despised nearly everything about him and his lifestyle, the way he treated women like toys or how he looked down on people who weren't loaded with their daddy's cash. The biggest irony of all was that she was the type of person that he would normally pity - her life was far from perfect and making ends meet was a struggle nearly every month.

Working the extra hours at the cafe had become the norm and no matter how much she had studied, that lifestyle took its toll on her grades. The only reason she could afford college was the scholarship that she had been offered, and she didn't have to think twice about accepting it. If she ever wanted her life to change, she knew she had to give it all - finish college with the best grades possible and score a job that would allow her to grow. After all, she also had Jeremy to look after. They both deserved far better than what they had.

So, how was it possible for any part of her to find a sweet spot for a guy like Damon? Whilst their kiss had nothing to do with love, nor did they have any feelings of affection for each other, this attraction between them felt...magnetic. Or was it the mere fact that she was inexperienced in the dating department, and Damon having all the experience in the world simply wrapped her around his finger.

Elena felt the tension leave her muscles as the hot water poured over her body, and she just stood there for a while submerged in the stream. Whatever it was that Italy had in store for her, she would not allow Damon to get under her skin.

* * *

Damon was sitting on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table, when Elena finally emerged from the bathroom, smelling like peaches and cream and sporting a makeup-free face. He couldn't remember the last time that he found a woman both sexy and sweet at the same time, but Elena could sure do both.

Elena carefully put her belongings away and then slowly approached her side of the bed, tugging at the plush duvets and unfolding one corner. She dreaded the thought of getting into the same bed as him, but at the same time she was knackered and couldn't wait to just close her eyes and drift off. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned around to face him.

"What, Damon?" She asked glaring at him.

A huge grin appeared on his tired face, as he took in her appearance. "Cute PJ's." He motioned at the matching Mickey Mouse t-shirt and shorts.

It was the most asexual article of clothing that she had brought with her, and it was perfect for the occasion - like trying to refrain her mind or his from going down the dirty route.

She rolled her eyes, climbing under the duvets. "I'm not telling you what you should sleep in, so how about you leave my pj's alone."

"Oh, really?" He raised his brow. "Well that's great, because it just so happens that I love sleeping naked." He said provocatively, biting his lip.

"I see you've decided to sleep on the couch then? Perfect." Elena challenged with a fake smile, although her stare was still shooting daggers at him.

"Don't get angry, princess." He countered with an amused expression on his face, obviously enjoying seeing her pent-up. "I might find some boxers and a t-shirt to wear."

She shook her head and reached for the light switch next to her nightstand. "Sure, just make sure to stay on _your_ side of the bed. Otherwise I can't guarantee that your perfect face will be intact tomorrow morning."

He grinned hearing the warning, and just nodded his head in acknowledgment. _A feisty thing she is. _

The lights went off as Elena turned onto her side, curling the pillow under her head. "Night, Damon."

"Sweet dreams, Elena."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for your amazing feedback! Thank you to every single person who comments, reads, favs, subs - I appreciate every single one of you. I'm sorry for the wait, I hope to have the next one sooner and hopefully I will be able to update regularly. Same with my other story - the chapter is nearly finished and will be uploaded soon. **

**I hope you enjoyed this one. x**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: After a long break, which I'm so sorry about, the next chapter is here. I hope it was worth the wait, and the next one will be out soon. Thank you so much for stopping by and reading this. I'd really appreciate it if you left a review, thank you. Take care guys! x**

**Chapter 4**

Damon's heavy eyelids fluttered open, his arm was stretched out and he took up nearly the entire space. He patted the side next to him, expecting to feel Elena's body by his side, and instead he discovered an empty space. His eyes were now open, as he slowly sat up with the bed sheets draped around his hips. By the time he got into bed last night, Elena was already asleep, so he managed to get away with sleeping in nothing but his underwear. He was looking forward to seeing her reaction in the morning, but he didn't expect to have her running out on him. _Such a prude_.

"Elena?" He called out hoarsely.

The apartment looked empty, but he doubted that she would have gone to get breakfast without him. At least he hoped that she wouldn't, what kind of a fake couple would they be if they went separately? He sighed. So, _this_ is what he got for getting involved with irresponsible and careless girls like her. He could have picked a _woman_ who had her life figured out, not a girl who squealed at his every touch. But then again, a woman like that would probably want nothing to do with whatever was going on here.

The innocence and inexperience appealed to him at first - someone like that could easily be swayed by his charm, swept off her feet, willing to go the distance. At least that's what he thought. But Elena was different… She challenged him on every little thing, and it was starting to annoy him.

"Nice bed head." Elena appeared in front of him out of nowhere, already dressed and looking ready to head out.

Damon caught her timid stare roam over his naked chest, which he welcomed with a smirk. So, he decided to drag out the getting dressed part, for her benefit of course.

"Wouldn't have pegged you for an early bird." He mused, searching for a casual shirt to throw on.

"I guess I just don't like sharing my bed with strangers." She replied with sarcasm, as her lips curved into a tight smile.

"So, it's safe to assume that you're not big on one-night stands?" He continued to tease. If this was the most fun that they would have together, he wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

She rolled her eyes, an act that became her second nature by now.

"I'll let you know when I find out."

"Seriously, you've never had one?" He asked with raised brows.

Elena felt a sudden blush coming on as he stared at her for far too long. "Believe it or not Damon but catching STD'S is not on my to-do list."

He grinned, moving closer to her. "So, you're a virgin?"

"You know, you don't have to be put out to random people to have sex. A relationship also allows for that."

"Is that a yes or no?"

His physical presence affected her way too much, especially given the topic that they were discussing. Why were they even talking about this? _God he was such a jerk_.

"That's shut up before I slap you, Damon." She glared at him, throwing a pair of shorts in his direction. "And for your information, I don't appreciate you walking around half naked around me."

"If you ever want to come out of the shell, I could teach you a thing or two." He suggested, his eyes narrowing in on her like a predator hunting its prey.

She snickered, moving away from him. "Seriously, it's been like what, _two _days since you've had sex and you're already searching for a naive girl who's willing to open her legs for you with no pretence?"

_Naive_. That's exactly what she was last night, nearly ready to say yes to anything that he'd offer.

He finally reached for the pair of shorts that she threw at him and proceeded to slide them on. "What makes you think I haven't had sex since we got here?"

She gasped at the comment. "Tell me you didn'tbring any skanks into the bed that _we_ slept in last night."

"Give me a bit more credit, Elena. I don't sleep with skanks."

"Damon!" She called him out furious, and not far from killing him right there and then.

Her reaction gained a wholehearted laugh from Damon, who was clearly having too much fun at her expense. He couldn't help that she was so easy to spur on, and at the same time so good to look at while she got all pent up.

"Alright, I'm kidding." He reassured her, flicking a strand of hair behind her ear. "But since we're being petty about this, it's actually been three days. And believe it or not, women sleep with me because they want to."

Oh, she believed him, there was no need for convincing. But at the same time, it just angered her how little he thought of women. There was nothing but his interests in sight, certainly no consideration for people or their feelings. How many girls did he sleep with, made them fall in love, gave them false hope and then forgot that they ever existed? She was sure he couldn't remember even half of them.

She gently moved his hand away from her face and turned towards the door. "I'll wait for you by the elevator, don't take forever getting ready."

* * *

The weather was perfect, sunshine rays entered the dining hall through the arched windows and a clear blue sky overlooked the scenery. Elena smiled to herself as she walked out to the outside seating area, where the gentle wind soothed her warm skin and she felt as relaxed as ever.

This could potentially be the best summer of her life. The first time in Italy, a place she'd been dying to see but up until this point could only dream of. There was no stress about college, finals or the coffee shop. And if she managed to stick through this entire charade, her financial worries would be put to sleep for some time. Things were beginning to look up for the first time in a while.

She settled on an off the shoulder white sundress and paired it with some brown edges, comfortable albeit girly. It only made sense that she kept in mind what Damon would think of the outfit, seeing as he was the one, she aimed to please. Whether she liked it or not, it was a part of their agreement, and for whatever reason being around him made her feel more feminine.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Damon offered as he reached their table. Seeing him so casual made Elena chuckle, though the rolled-up sleeves and dark sunglasses still added to his aloof persona.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked disorientated, taking a brief look around. Sure, women often smiled at him, but Elena wasn't one of them.

She chuckled in response, "Nothing, I'm just getting used to this 'laid back' version of you. And since you ask, a coffee would be nice."

"Oh yeah, you like what you see?" His lips curved into a smile, and his gaze intensified.

_Yes_.

"Nope." She said with a smile, looking back up to him. He wasn't about to intimidate her with those hypnotizing blue orbs of his. "So, how about that coffee?"

He bit into his lower lip, as if he was contemplating on what to say. "On its way." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, before leaving.

Yeah, she really had to work on _not _freaking out every time he did that.

"Hi, you're Elena, right?" Elena looked up to see no other person than Rose, taking a seat opposite her.

Honestly after that kiss last night, Damon's ex-girlfriend sort of slipped Elena's mind, even though she was the whole reason for this spectacle. This was probably the part she struggled with the most, playing with people's feelings and pretending to be someone she wasn't.

"We met last night, briefly." Rose smiled sympathetically, trying to dodge her memory.

"Yeah I remember, you're Rose." Elena finally spoke up, hoping to hide her nervousness.

As little as she remembered from the night before, Rose stood out well in her memory. Today she looked even more radiant and fresh, wearing a simple thin strapped dress and very minimal makeup. It made sense as to why Damon wanted to win her back, she was gorgeous. The perfect arm candy that he was so desperate to have.

"Yep, that would be me." A small laugh fell from her lips. "I know this might be a little awkward, but ehm we didn't really get the chance to speak yesterday, with Damon around and everything."

_Speak about what? _

"Why would it be awkward?" Elena decided to play along, after all Rose shouldn't really know that Damon had said anything about her.

The smile fell from her face, and she squinted her eyes in confusion. "Damon didn't tell you?"

Elena shook her head, "I'm not sure what you mean."

"We used to date, not too long ago actually." She admitted dryly, like it was still a bittersweet topic for her.

"Ah, so _you're_ the girlfriend that cheated on him?" Elena countered, sounding bitchier than she had intended.

Rose looked a little taken by surprise.

"Look, I can see that you're a good person." She continued, nevertheless. "And I just wanted to tell you that whatever you think is going on between Damon and you, isn't real. He's just using you; don't you see?"

Well, she had a point. But coming from someone who cheated, it was quite a reach to bad mouth the guy whose trust she betrayed.

Elena sighed, shifting in her seat. "I don't see how any of this concerns you, but for your information, all I see is that you're clearly jealous that he's here with me and not with you."

"That's brave of you to assume. You really think you have what it takes to keep him?"

Elena couldn't help but feel amused at the situation. _Was this high school all over again?_

"I know that I make him feel things he's never felt before. So yeah, I'm pretty sure." She added confidently and got up ready to leave. "Now excuse me, but right now I'm kind of feeling hungry for something else." She sent her a wide smile and walked off, leaving Rose startled.

Elena practically power walked over to the buffet area and as soon as her eyes found Damon, she knew exactly what she was going to do next.

"You changed your mind?" He chuckled, as she slid in front of him.

Damon had almost no time to register what was happening and he nearly stumbled backwards when she smacked her lips on his, pressing her chest right against his. It took a few seconds for him to gather himself, but after that he didn't need any further encouragement. He slipped his hands around her petite waist, bringing her even closer, and allowed Elena to take full control of his mouth, as she did it oh so perfectly well.

"What was that about?" He asked breathless when she pulled away, looking up at him with hungry eyes.

"Not that I'm complaining." He quickly reiterated, afraid that it would discourage her from acting that way ever again. He'd happily spend the entire day tasting her sweet mouth on his lips, only if he could.

"Nothing, just play along." She giggled, re-capturing his lips one more time, only this kiss was even more bold than the first one.

She kissed him deeply, devouring the taste of him, as she explored his mouth with her tongue. It only spurred her on to know that people were watching, because right now all she wanted was to feel worthy enough to be seen with a guy like Damon. The heat inside her boiled up as she felt his excitement grow, and she knew that in that moment he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

The second she bit into his lower lip, Damon felt the bulge in his pants grow and he was lost as to what the fuck she was doing, driving him crazy like that. Yeah, he wanted her, she was hot and willing, and all over him. But Elena never reacted to him like this, and judging by the small whimpers, she was enjoying this just as much.

"So, where's that coffee?" She whispered, with a heaving chest and a proud look on her face.

_The little vixen._

* * *

Elena spent the rest of the day having time to herself, sunbathing by the pool, reading books, and finally she got to speak to Bonnie and tell her everything that happened so far. Well, everything _minus_ the fact that she has been enjoying those intimate moments a little too much.

Damon had business to attend to, at least that is what he told her, and she didn't feel the need to bug him about it. Aside from the typical bickering and the fake display of attention, they really didn't have that much to talk about. It just saved them the awkwardness and small talk.

At least tonight there was an agenda, a fake romantic date by the beach. As _Salvatore Inc_ was celebrating its 25th anniversary, they spoiled their employees by throwing a party nearly every night of the ten day stay. Each time the theme was going to be different and tonight it was all about being free and hippie like. But judging by the way Damon was acting all tense, it wouldn't be all peace and love.

"So, is that the guy?" Elena asked daringly, her eyes drifting to the tall blonde guy that Rose was currently smothering with kisses.

"Yep." Damon spoke through his teeth, his hand tightening around hers. He had already punched the guy once, right after he found out that he was fucking _his_ girlfriend, but he was still far from being over it. "Trevor fucking Ford, a second-rate model wannabe."

"For what it's worth, you're better looking." She teased, looking up at him. "And I say that in spite of your personality."

That made him laugh, and he was finally able to relax. "I guess a compliment like that coming from _you,_ should be considered as one of the _highest_ orders."

"Yeah, that is literally the nicest thing that you'll ever hear from me." She admitted wholeheartedly, as they reached the beach.

The place began to fill up with people wearing cheesy Hawaiian shirts and flower necklaces, as a soothing song was being played by a live band. The open bar looked appetising serving cocktails in pineapples, coconuts and anything else that could store a beverage. So really, it had everything Elena needed to get through the night.

"I'll grab us some drinks, wait for me somewhere here. I'll be right back" He motioned towards the bar before disappearing in the crowd.

Elena picked a spot closer to the shore, preferring to be further away from the sea of strangers. Sure, they all seemed nice, but it's not like she knew of them. As weird as it sounded, she only felt somewhat at ease around Damon, who now seemed to vanish into thin air.

A couple of minutes had passed, with him being gone for longer than she had anticipated. She didn't even know where he went off to, but last she settled on having a look around. As she walked a little further up the beach, she thought she heard his voice coming from behind the little huts.

Something inside Elena told her not to check if her suspicions were true, but her stubbornness didn't allow for her to just let things go. With a few steps closer, she was able to get a better look and to her disappointment, she saw Damon huddled up in the corner with Rose, whispering something to each other.

Disappointment? Elena couldn't quite pin the emotion down. Jealousy was out of the question, there was nothing that she could be jealous of. She was simply hurt by the fact that Damon felt the need to lie to her. If he wanted to speak to Rose, he didn't need to cover it up. They both knew what she was here for, so why did he have to go behind her back?

Elena shrugged it off and went to get herself a drink, as she could really use a time out right now. She sat at the far end of the bar and placed an order for a Pina Colada. If Damon wanted to find her, then he could put some effort into it.

"Not a fan of beach parties?" An unfamiliar voice asked, as some random guy took the seat right next to her.

"I guess I'm just not in the mood." She replied with a sigh and turned to face the stranger.

_Wow_. Did all the guys in this place look like models?

She felt like she recognised him from somewhere, but the names have long faded. But he had gorgeous green eyes, blonde hair and a sharp model-like jaw.

"I'm Stefan by the way." He sent her a brief smile, sticking out his hand.

"Elena." She returned the smile and shook the extended hand.

"I saw you with Damon last night, are you meant to be here together?" He mused intrigued.

"Yeah, meant to." She shrugged as the bartender finally handed her the drink she'd been waiting for. "How do you know Damon?"

He chuckled. "Well, aside from working together, he is also my brother."

Oh well this was just _great_. The only guy showing her any kind of attention had to be Damon's brother.

"Oh, I'm sorry. He didn't really mention that he had a brother." She said apologetically.

"I figured as much." He added unbothered. "So, if you're here with him then why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

This really wasn't a conversation that she wanted to have with him, that would require a lot of explaining and exposing Damon's little secret. "We just had a little spat, you know how annoying he can get sometimes." She offered with a small laugh.

"Yeah, can't argue with you on that one." He accepted her explanation with a chuckle, as they both downed some of their drink.

"So, Elena, tell me something about yourself."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews and support! :) I'm back with another chapter, and I ****absolutely**** love this one. It was so fun to write! I hope you guys think the same ;) And also, just wanted to add: I have a new One Shot/Potential story uploaded called 'Never Really Over' and I'd really appreciate it if you could check it out. In the meantime, enjoy this wild ride and let me know your thoughts. Take care! x**

**Chapter 5**

"Yeah, I mean I was right on top of the cliff and nearly fell off." Stefan's laugh accompanied the majority of his story, and Elena couldn't help but giggle along.

"Luckily the only thing I lost that day was my phone, but for a second or two I was sure that that was it for me." He finished off and stopped right by the main entrance to the hotel.

Despite Damon ditching her, and then never bothering to look for her, Elena managed to have a nice evening in his brother's company. He might have told a hundred stories of his own, but he also took a strong interest in Elena. In fact, the first thing that she noticed about him was how attentive he was, unlike... No, she wouldn't go there.

He might have blown her off, but she still had some loyalty left towards him. That feeling that she had when she was without Damon was strange, to say the least. It was almost as if Stefan was too polite. And she kind of missed the back and forth sarcasm, the secret looks, or the pent-up tension. It didn't make sense that she was still thinking of Damon in the presence of a perfectly good guy.

"Thanks for keeping me company tonight." She smiled at him.

"Honestly, it was my pleasure." He answered sincerely, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you're different from Damon's usual girlfriends."

"What do you mean?"

Her mind went straight to the 'not good enough' stuff. Elena struggled to feel equal to Damon when it came to her appearance. When she was with Matt or just dating around, her self-esteem wasn't an issue, but all those guys were just a normal amount of good looking, and she didn't feel like she needed to prove anything to anyone. That wasn't the case with Damon, because despite his dirty mouth and ugly outlook on life, his beauty still took her breath away every time she saw him.

She hated to admit it, but lately she liked to observe Damon when he was distracted, lost deep in thought. It felt like that was the only time that she got to see the real Damon, without the facade that he'd normally put up, even in front of her. But the one thing she'd enjoyed the most, was catching him truly smile. The Egyptian blue of his eyes would shine even brighter, and he'd be so mellow and at peace with himself.

"Well, for one; you're smart. I can actually have a conversation with you." He chuckled at the statement, which made her smile. "And honestly, you're not a bitch."

"Thanks, I guess?" She laughed nervously, not knowing what to say. This wasn't a surprise, and it was pathetic that Damon was still _very_ much interested in those types of girls.

"Maybe it's not my place to say this, but ehh, he's an idiot for ditching you tonight."

She furrowed her brows in confusion, knowing she never told Stefan what happened with her and Damon. Was he spying on them?

"I saw him with Rose earlier on, so I figured that's what you two argued about." He explained further, sensing her confusion. "So, if things don't go your way, or you just wanna hang out or something, call me."

"Yeah, uh it's complicated." She added nervously, looking up at him. "Look, you're a great guy but I am with Damon and I don't cheat, so I don't think it's fair towards him for us to be meeting up behind his back."

"I know, you're not that kind of girl." He smiled, looking at her with awe. "But my offer still stands. Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight." She muttered out, as he left in the opposite direction.

This was not how she expected the evening to turn out.

* * *

Elena slid the key-card into its slot, walking into their empty apartment. Yep, empty. It was nearing 10 o'clock and Damon still hadn't come back, nor had he tried calling her to see where she was. It just made her mad, because this wasn't the way that she'd ever let anyone treat her. If this was a real relationship, she'd be dumping his sorry ass any minute now.

But it didn't bother her to think of what Damon was most likely doing right now, or more so _who _he was doing it with. This was his life and he was free to choose how he wanted to live it, and if that meant being a man-whore then she'd have to accept that and ignore it. And why should she spend all this time thinking about where he went, when she was also here to enjoy herself.

The agreement did not stipulate that she was to spend every second of the day worshiping the ground that he walked on. If Rose didn't see her flirt with anyone other than Damon, she could do whatever the hell she wanted. Maybe not with Damon's brother, but this was Italy, she was bound to bump into a handsome guy at some point, right? She sighed, exhausted after an entire day of kissing, pretending and being frustrated with Damon. Honestly, a ten-hour shift at the cafe required less effort than all of this.

Elena cursed under her breath when she realised that Stefan's blazer was still draped over her shoulders. This meant that she'd had to seek him out eventually, and it just seemed like the worst excuse ever. Who would ever believe that she totally 'forgot' to give it back to him in the first place? _Perfect_. She slipped out of it, throwing it on the armchair and then kicked off her shoes. She proceeded to tug at the side zip of her dress, allowing the material to cascade down her toned body and fall to the marble floor.

She slowly walked over to the large mirror built into the closet and stared at her own reflection. The long brown locks trailing a path down her back and shoulders were just a mess at this point, and she looked tired. Her eyes scanned each curve of her body, as if she was exploring it for the first time. It just didn't make sense why she had all this self-doubt all of the sudden. She liked the way that her body looked, so why did she feel like she wasn't enough?

The day certainly took its toll on her, so it was the perfect time to finally get some use out of the jetted tub, light up a candle and let her skin soak in the grossly expensive bath creams. She strolled into the bathroom, dimming the lights to create a soothing atmosphere. As the hot water started to fill up in the tub and the hot steam began to invade the bathroom, she went out to grab a bathrobe and prepare a clean set of pyjamas.

"Oh my god!" A small scream fell from her lips, as she walked right into Damon.

"What are you doing here?" She panicked, furiously searching around for something to cover herself with.

Damon would have normally thrown in a snarky comment by now, and the fact that his eyes were just devouring her lingerie-clad body and he said absolutely nothing, caused Elena to flare up with embarrassment.

"Uh," He murmured something incohesive, finding it impossible to stop staring.

The black floral lace sat deliciously against her olive complexion, the subtle material accentuating each curve of her feminine figure. It was utter torture for him not to be able to trace his fingers along the velvet of her skin, to taste its sweetness with his lips. Fuck, he was rock hard for her the second time this day, with no prospect of getting any release.

"Damon!"

This finally seemed to snap him out, as his eyes quickly darted somewhere else. "Here, sorry." He grabbed a blanket from the bed, handing it to her without looking.

Elena hurriedly wrapped it around her frame and stepped away for some much-needed distance between them.

"Do you mind telling me where the hell have you been all this time?" She began annoyed, hoping to form a distraction from the tension.

He had to focus twice as hard on her words, as his mind was still deep in the gutter. "What do you mean? You weren't there when I came back."

"Quit the bullshit." She looked at him annoyed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I saw you with Rose."

Who the hell even cared about Rose, he thought to himself as he desperately tried _not _to look at the cleavage that was now threatening to spill out of the material pushed against her chest? Was she fucking torturing him on purpose?

"Rose?" He repeated, his throat feeling as dry as the Sahara.

"Yes, your ex Rose who you went to snog behind my back. Does that ring any bells for you?" She rolled her eyes, her temper growing by the second. "Oh my gosh, you're still thinking about my boobs, aren't you?" The accusation came out with a small gasp, as she gathered up the blanket nearly pulling it up to her neck.

"I am no-" He frowned with a shake of the head. "Oh, fuck it, what do you expect when you're standing half naked right in front of me?"

"Don't you dare blame me for your stupid man urges!" She replied shocked, frantically scouring through her suitcase with one hand and holding the blanket with the other, as she searched for that stupid bathrobe. "I was happily minding my own business, when _you _literally fell out of nowhere."

He snickered, his eyes following her movements. "I don't know if you recall but this is _our _apartment, so if you didn't want me seeing you like this then maybe you shouldn't be parading around naked."

"I was NOT parading around naked, I was getting ready to get into the tub, but forgot to take my stupid bathrobe." Elena clarified with a glaring look, still not able to find the damn thing. She huffed out an annoyed sigh and took out the first shirt that she reached for to throw on instead.

"_Of course,_ you were. You wanted me to see you naked, and that's the truth." He laughed, shaking his head. "But it's just so typical of you to tempt me and then pretend like I'm the one who wants you."

Oh no, he did not just go there.

"You know what Damon, you're right." She smiled, walking up to him. "In fact, you know what? How about you get a better look, seeing as the last time just didn't do it for me." Now that she felt that she was close enough to him, she let go of the blanket and watched it drop down to the floor, right along with Damon's jaw.

The built-up tension was dangerously close to spilling over, as Damon's wild eyes roamed up and down her body, before their eyes locked in a hypnotising gaze that sent a chill down her spine. Neither of them knew who made the first move, but one way or another Elena ended up on top of Damon, pushing his body backwards onto the plush bed.

They devoured each other's lips with a hunger that felt like no other, teasing and tasting, licking and grazing. Elena's hips were wildly grinding against his, as the space in his pants grew tighter with each whimper that left her lips. Damon grabbed her ass with both hands, relishing in the softness of her skin as he gave it a tight squeeze, before he flipped them over and regained full control.

Now that Damon was hovering over her and his mouth was tracing eager kisses down her neck, Elena desperately wanted to free him of his clothes. It only seemed fair. She began to unbutton his shirt, revealing his chiseled abs inch by inch. This wasn't the first time she was seeing him shirtless, but it was the first time that she felt bold enough to run her fingertips down his stern chest. _God_, this man was the fucking epiphany of sex.

He shrugged the shirt off his shoulders, throwing it somewhere behind him. He loved the way she looked under him, her eyes just like his darkened with lust, those soft lips swollen with kisses and still asking for more. The way in which every inch of her body responded to his touch, like he awoke her every nerve and set it on fire.

She moaned into his lips when his thumb grazed over her erect nipple, as the wetness between her legs continued to grow and all she wanted was to feel him, deep and hard inside of her. No other sexual experience could ever compare to the way their foreplay sent her over the edge, she could easily come from his single touch.

This was far more relaxing than any kind of bubble bath, and right now she felt like they should spend every night and every day doing just this; driving each other over the limit only to then share the sweetest form of release together.

_Bubble bath. Hot water. The fucking tap…_

"Shit, Damon, you need to get off me." Elena managed to mumble out breathlessly, pushing him off reluctantly.

"What? Where are you going?" He asked out of breath, as he sat up in a daze.

Elena rushed over to the bathroom, discovering an overflowing bathtub and a wet puddle forming on the floor. She quickly turned off the taps and removed the plug, releasing a big sigh of relief. In her head she'd already imagined the worst-case scenario and a huge bill to pay at the end of their stay.

"What the hell happened in here?" She heard Damon ask, as he stood in the doorway with nothing but his pants on, taking in the scene in front of him.

Elena looked up at him with a sober mind for the first time this evening, noting how close they were to making an irrevocable mistake. If it wasn't for the sudden wave of realisation, she would be drowning in pleasure and calling out his name right about now, without a single dread of guilt hanging over them.

"I forgot to turn off the tap." She added, avoiding eye contact and brushing past him as she exited the bathroom.

Damon sighed as the disappointment settled in. This was as close as he was ever going to get at having sex with her, and up until tonight when he finally got a taste of her, he had no idea how much he wanted her. He looked over his shoulder and saw Elena putting on that Mickey Mouse t-shirt, before she disappeared under the duvet. Message received. He reached for the towel and dropped it to the floor, as he got down on his knees.

He wouldn't be able to get any sleep anyway.

* * *

The next morning Damon woke up in an empty bed again, just as he suspected he would. Granted that this time, he was grateful for the moment of peace. Last night was… surprising, and there were no other words to describe it.

Of course, he'd always found Elena very attractive, that was why he chose her for this entire plan. He also wasn't celibate, so sex was a daily part of his routine, and there was nothing wrong with that. But he knew things shouldn't have escalated the way they did, because Elena wasn't supposed to be that girl for him. Maybe he didn't know her all that well, but it was obvious that she wasn't the girl that you played around with and then never called again.

Their chemistry was unreal, the attraction between them was nearly palpable to the touch. And the fact that Elena hated him, yet she still somehow ended up underneath him, spoke volumes. Despite knowing all of this, it still pissed him off that they didn't go through with it. He couldn't remember the last time it felt like _that_ for him, he'd simply never wanted anyone as badly as he wanted Elena. And the second that he would lay his eyes on her, the insatiable desire would erupt within him all over again.

Damon stepped into the shower and stood under a cold stream of water for a good couple of minutes, resting his head against the tiles. He needed to refresh his mind and reset his body, because being around Elena for a whole day without him throwing himself at her was going to prove fucking difficult, especially with the classic case of blue balls that he had since yesterday.

But he knew perfectly well what to occupy his mind with, as he aimed for his release.

* * *

Elena tiptoed back into their room, quietly shutting the door behind her. To her surprise, the water was already running in the bathroom, which signaled that Damon was awake. She didn't mean to sneak out, but she woke up early in the morning and just couldn't get back to sleep, especially with Damon laying right next to her.

The cocktails from last night came back to haunt her with a pounding headache, and so did the memories of her sexual appetite taking over her. She'd just stick to the version that she was drunk out of her mind, and the drunk Elena was a whole different person who clearly lacked morals and the basic level of self-control.

"Hey." She greeted him as he came out of the bathroom, taking a seat on the foot of the bed.

"You okay?" He asked, throwing a towel over his bare shoulder, sitting down next to her.

_Why did he have to smell so good?_

She nodded, "Listen, about last night..."

"I didn't go behind your back to hook up with Rose."

Okay, that was one way to avoid the topic.

"So, where did you go?"

"I did go to get us a drink, and yeah, I did go off with Rose because she showed up out of nowhere and wouldn't go away until I listened to her." He rolled his eyes. "But we didn't kiss, or anything. I mean what I said, I do want her to pay for what she did to me."

"But you never came back for me?" She questioned, confused. She stayed there for at least 30 minutes, and he never showed up.

"I needed to cool off, she got under my skin. Then I came back, but you weren't there, so I assumed you came back to the hotel." He added with a shrug. "And I was in a shit mood after that, so I had a couple of drinks before coming up here."

Elena nodded in understanding, but a trace of guilt painted over her face. It's not like she did anything wrong, but she felt bad for spending the evening with his brother, it didn't feel right.

"Okay well I guess I'm sorry for grilling you last night. It wasn't my place to do that." She admitted. "And if it helps, I was _really _drunk."

Damon chuckled and got up from the bed, pulling on a t-shirt. "Yeah, I think both of us were. So, truce?" He extended out his hand.

"_And_ we forget everything that happened?" She proposed with a shy smile, ready to shake his hand.

He looked at her and she could tell exactly what images were flashing across his mind, as she had the exact same ones running through hers.

"Sure." He replied nonchalantly.

"Then truce it is." She added, shaking his hand.

She smiled to herself as Damon moved across the room. Maybe things didn't have to be so bad between them.

"Whose is this?" He asked intrigued, holding up Stefan's blazer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Oh, that's mine." Elena laughed nervously, snatching it away from him and burying it in the nearest drawer.

The atmosphere in the room thickened, as they stood opposite each other with Damon keenly observing her, like he was trying to read her.

_Please drop it, please drop it. _She pleaded internally, knowing that she was treading on thin ice.

"It's a men's jacket, Elena." He pointed out coldly. "You might be good at pretending in front of other people, but all it takes is one glance into your eyes and I know that you're lying."

"Fine." She gave in, taking in a deep breath. "But you can't get mad."

"Elena." Damon nagged for her to finally spill it out.

"I was waiting for you to come find me last night, and instead I met your brother. He walked me back to the hotel and I forgot to give this back to him."

"This is Stefan's?" He said through his teeth. _That bastard_. As usual, he used any chance he got to sweep in and prove that he was the better brother, the better choice.

"Did you sleep with him?" The accusation rolled off his tongue, causing Elena's eyes to widen in shock.

She had the sudden urge to scream at him, until he understood what kind of person she was, because it sure didn't match this whoreish narrative that he was forcing. Did their constant bickering make him believe that she was his enemy? Because no matter how much of a dick he was to her, she'd never go behind his back like that.

"Oh my god, how easy do you think I am?" Elena uttered out irritated.

"Based on yesterday's events, you're not all that different from the rest." The connotation brought back the hazy memories of their bodies tangled up together.

Only this time Damon's choice of words deduced the moment they shared to just another meaningless dirty encounter.

Not that Elena ever considered it to mean something. If anything, it was a side effect of being driven to the edge by Damon, for the second day in a row.

"Now you're just being a fucking dick, Damon." She added angrily, observing his constantly changing demeanour. _Why was he so damn hard to read!_ "Not only are you being disrespectful to me, but also to your brother. As far as he knows, I am _your_ girlfriend."

He laughed mockingly, _as if that made a difference. _"That doesn't mean much to people these days."

"Oh, and before you decide to get all friendly with random men, maybe you should try and find out what their agenda is first." He rumbled coldly, grabbing his phone and slamming the door behind him.

_What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

This made Elena feel like a puppy who was being punished for misbehaving, only in her opinion she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

He didn't spare her the accusations, implying that she had done it with his brother right under his nose, like the fake-unfaithful girlfriend that she was. Is this what it was like to be in a fucked-up relationship? Not allowing the other person to explain their side of the story, not hearing a single word that leaves their mouth because it doesn't fit the bill.

Elena fell backwards on their unmade bed with a loud thud, landing on Damon's side of the bed, which still smelled just like him. This was it; she was emotionally and mentally drained after this roller coaster of emotion that he put her through daily.

One second she hated him, the next she was attracted to him. One moment they were screaming at each other, and the next they were making out like a couple of horny teenagers. Why couldn't things just be stable between them for once?

Only time would tell if they could survive the next seven days without being the death of each other.

* * *

"Trouble in paradise?"

Rose asked, a fake sweet tone lacing her voice. She encircled Damon's table, gliding a finger down his bicep.

God, how did her squeaky little voice not annoy him before?

He snatched her wrist, shoving it away. "What are you talking about."

She laughed, appearing to be in a perfect mood, and sat down opposite him. "You're here, your pretty little toy is nowhere in sight. Are you two fighting already?" She asked, crossing her long leans and putting on the extra show for Damon's view.

Damon didn't even pay attention to her poor attempts at seduction, she could flaunt her naked body and he wouldn't bat an eye. Not anymore. The plan was to have Rose plead for him to take her back, once the jealousy had well and truly fucked with her mind. It was never in his intentions to forgive her betrayal and live happily ever after.

"Where's your puppet?" He challenged with a smirk.

"Don't try and change the subject." She deflected, leaning closer to him. "Does she not satisfy you, like I did baby?" She whispered seductively.

Damon bit on his lower lip, as the floral scent of her perfume overwhelmed his senses. "Mm," He hummed out quietly, gesturing at Rose to inch even closer, which she happily obliged with.

His lips softly brushed against her ear, as he whispered. "You're not even half the woman that she is."

Damon stood up abruptly after having delivered the message and left without looking back. If there was anything that Elena had taught him, it was how to leave people high and dry, desperate for more.

This day started off badly for him, and there seemed to be a new person available to piss him off even more every place he went. It's been sometime since he'd been alone, and his mind currently craved some peace and clarity.

All that he encountered was chaos, and mindless fucks messing with him and his life. First it was Rose, cheating on him and leaving him like their relationship meant nothing. So he did what he had to, and turned to hatred towards the person he'd spent the last three years with.

Then, of course, Stefan had to step in, forgetting the meaning of brother solidarity and being all over Elena, because _apparently, _she deserved better. Yeah, that's what the idiot told him this morning when Damon paid him a visit. He was so angry with Elena, but more so with Stefan and he wasn't one to let things slide, so he had to remind him that Elena was here with _him_.

It didn't make a difference that their relationship was a farce, it still stirred something inside of him to know that another man was looking to claim her. Elena was not going to be an object of Stefan's attention; he could kiss that chance goodbye.

On top of all that shit, Elena was messing with his mind daily. The way she acted all innocent around him, reacting to the lightest touch and painting a picture of how her body would react to the real kind of pleasure that he would gladly show her. She seemed so pure, nearly angelic like and he wanted to be the one to taint her. Because it was a given that in a cold world like this, she wouldn't be able to stay untouched for much longer. But Damon could show her, teach her how to handle it.

"Ah, son. I've been looking for you everywhere."

Damon heard his father call after him, when he entered the main hall. _Just what he needed._

He had a decent relationship with Giuseppe, but with him nearing the retirement age and wanting to progress into more of a quiet lifestyle, the pressure became a bit much for Damon. He was expected to step up, and deal with the entire franchise by himself, with his father's highest expectations looming over his head 24/7.

"What's up?" He dared to ask, as Giuseppe gestured at him to take a seat at the mini coffee table, where usually guests waited to check into the hotel.

"A drink?" Giuseppe offered, lifting a glass of wine.

Damon declined, shaking his head. "I'm good, thanks. What did you want to talk about?"

"I was on the phone with Ric from _Paradise _and well, it took pulling some strings but if we play this right, we could collaborate and open one of the biggest resorts, right here in Sicily." Giuseppe continued, enthralled by the concept. "Obviously, I don't need to tell you what Sicily means for our company. So, I would like _you _to negotiate a deal with them." He proposed with a grin, before taking a sip of his drink.

Damon nodded, also impressed by the possibility. _Paradise_ was a big player within the Asian market, and this would certainly benefit _Salvatore Inc_ by attracting a new type of clientele, and it could even expand their scope of business.

"I'll be glad to, they're influential and all about innovation. Have they given any dates?"

"Well, Ric is currently staying in Palermo and he's flying back to Singapore in two days. So, if we want to make sure that they don't find someone else to do business with, you'll need to leave today. He has a free slot to meet with you tomorrow."

This was the stroke of luck that he'd been needing, as he needed to get away from all this.

"Okay, so call him to set a time and I'll be there." Damon's agreement earned him a tap on the back from Giuseppe.

"I knew I could count on you, son. Do you want Rose to accompany you?" He asked workwise, as Rose had been working as a business analyst at the company for some time, and she was usually his go to person.

"No." He replied sternly. If this was going to be a stipulation, then to hell with it. Stefan could easily take his place and deal with the business, for once. "I'll be fine on my own."

Giuseppe's brows furrowed in confusion, but he decided not to press him further. Damon knew what he was doing. "That's fine with me, I trust you. I'll ask Emma to reserve the hotel. Suit for one, how many nights?"

"I'll leave today and come back in two days. And ah, a suit for two." Damon pondered over the thought, before making that decision.

Giuseppe chuckled, and nodded in acceptance. "Let me know before you go on your way."

* * *

"No Bonnie, it's a disaster." Elena gushed down the phone embarrassingly, splashing her feet in the water. "It's bad enough that I jumped him naked, but now I also made myself look like a lying slut."

The only thing Elena could occupy herself with was the swimming pool, which luckily was practically empty. Most guests spent their days sunbathing at the beautiful sandy beach, where the water was warm and soothing, but Elena preferred to sulk right there.

"Well, I guess a man is bound to be angry if you flirt with his brother." Bonnie chided with a chuckle. "But seriously, what were you even thinking hanging out with that Stefan guy?"

Why was the whole world against her?

"There was no flirting…" Elena reiterated with a hint of frustration. "I was angry with him for just ditching me like I was a piece of garbage, and the opportunity to get back at him basically handed itself to me on a platter." She justified her actions.

"I guess you're right. I think you just let him get under your skin too much, you need to put down some rules so that both of you know what's okay and what isn't."

"Yeah… any ideas on how to make it abundantly clear that I don't want him?"

"That will require some hardcore acting from your side." She giggled, as if it wasn't obvious that Elena had at least a crush on him.

"Oh, what do you know." She frowned at the response, tired of everything and everyone suggesting that there was something going on between the two of them.

There wasn't a drop of desire in her body for Damon. Did she find him attractive? Hell yeah, who wouldn't. But that was where it ended, because it was impossible to feel anything for a guy like him. He was stubborn, rude, arrogant, disrespectful and immature.

"Elena, pack your things." She suddenly heard Damon announce, as it appeared that he had been standing behind her.

"What?" She asked, looking up at him perplexed.

_Damn those dazzling chocolate eyes, did she always have to look this adorable?_

He rolled his eyes; it was like they couldn't have an interaction without Elena questioning every word that came out of his mouth. "We're going on a trip, so _please_, go pack your things."

_Well, this was going to be fun._

* * *

A dark blue 1980's Camaro pulled up in front of them, as one of the hotel staff exited it and handed the keys to Damon.

"Grazie." A simple Italian word leaving Damon's lips sounded more romantic than any soppy love song Elena had ever heard.

The Italian heat was merciless, with temperatures nearly reaching a hundred degrees and sweat beads forming on every inch of their skin as soon as they stepped outside.

Damon picked up Elena's Nike duffel bag and placed it in the small trunk along with his travel sized suitcase. Elena was already waiting for him in the passenger seat, working on securing the seatbelt when he hopped in.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going?" Elena started, looking out the window.

She never got an explanation from him, they simply packed their clothes in silence when she got back from the pool, not even sparing a glance in her direction. This only confirmed the suspicion that Damon was still angry at her, and he wasn't going to have a change of heart any time soon. And apparently it was women who held grudges.

"Palermo." Damon responded, keeping his eyes on the road.

_Wherever that was. _Elena rolled her eyes, resting her head back.

"Why did you even bring me with you if you're not going to talk to me?" She pressed, getting a bit annoyed.

She didn't deserve the cold shoulder from him, but if he was so sick of her then he could have just sent her back to New York and end this nonsense once and for all.

"That was me talking to you."

"Ahh, you are literally driving me crazy!" She exclaimed with a loud huff. "I'm sorry for bumping into a guy who just happened to be your brother, which by the way was a one in a million chance. And, I'm sorry for not hating his guts. But you did ditch me, for one reason or another, and I had the right to be mad at you. _Please _tell me that you get that."

"One in a million, huh?" Damon looked at her from the side, a smirk forming on his face. She could humour him without even trying to.

Elena shook her head in disbelief at his rudeness. "I'm sorry, am I just a joke to you?"

"No." He answered sincerely. "Let's just add yet another thing to the list of things that never happened. Okay?"

"Fine." She agreed and turned on the radio.

"Stefan shouldn't bother you again." He added after a moment of silence

"Why, thank you my saviour." She scoffed sarcastically. "I could have told him to back off myself, you know."

"Yes_ Elena_, I know that you are perfectly capable of that as an independent, modern woman," He sucked in a breath to stop himself from starting another argument. "But I did you a favour and dealt with it myself, is that so bad?"

"If anything, you did yourself a favour." She sneered at his attempt of painting himself as the hero. _Typical men_. "Why don't you just admit that your caveman ass couldn't handle the fact that someone else came to pee in your 'territory'."

He burst out laughing, his body shaking from the vibrations. "Pee in my territory? Seriously? What are we like, twelve?"

"One of us is." She glared at him and the uncalled for fit of laughter. _Jackass. _"But fine, be a man about it and act like Stefan hitting on me didn't bother you. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Oh wow, you really are going there." Damon conceded with a chuckle. "For the sake of us actually getting along, _for once_, I'll admit that my brother and I are very… competitive."

"Good. Glad we've got that settled." She flashed a big smile his way. "So, now that you've finally stopped acting like a jerk, can you tell me what the hell are we going to Palermo for?"

He grinned at her honesty, a quality that annoyed him the most about Elena, but also one that he really appreciated. "I have to attend a business meeting there tomorrow, so I thought it would be a good chance for you to see something more than the hotel pool."

"Well, thanks for bringing me with you." She added softly.

* * *

"And we have finally arrived." Damon announced two hours later, as they pulled up in front of a small resort.

This was very modest and cosy in comparison to the _Salvatore Plaza _that they were staying at back in Catania. Both were nothing short of perfection when it came to the design and style, but Elena felt more drawn to this one.

Their bags were taken by the hotel staff, as they happily welcomed them inside and showed them to their suite. Upon walking inside, the first thing that caught Elena's attention was the king-sized bed, which gave her a sense of Deja Vu all over again. They didn't have to pretend around here, so why were they keeping up appearances?

"There's another bed in the adjacent room, don't worry." Damon reassured her, as if he read the contemplation on her face.

"Thanks." She smiled.

As she checked out the rest of the suite, she realised that this was the first sweet thing that Damon had done for her. It was clear that he took her feelings into consideration and ensured that she felt comfortable by getting the suite with an extra bed. And yet for some reason, she felt a little disappointed. _Stupid hormones._

Once they both settled in and refreshed themselves, they had a long evening ahead of them and for the first time, they were free to do whatever they wanted. It was just the two of them, with no need to put on a fake show. But it also meant that there was no one there to distract them or to give them something to talk about, so it got Elena feeling all giddy inside. They weren't so great at talking without it turning into an argument after five minutes.

"Have you been here before?" Elena asked, slipping on a pair of sunglasses as they walked down the street.

"Yeah, I pretty much spent my entire childhood in Sicily."

"Really? You never told me that." She pointed out surprised.

"Well, you never asked." He countered with a chuckle. "My dad was born here, but he moved to New York in his twenties, where he met my mom. They decided to stay in the US, but he made sure to bring us here every summer. And somewhere along the way we fell in love with this place the same way he did. That's why we're hosting the 25th Anniversary Party here."

He spoke about it with a passion that she hadn't encountered in him before. It's like he magically turned into this regular guy just casually strolling around a Sicilian town, devouring the sights in front of him.

"So, do you visit often?"

"Not anymore." He added with a hint of sadness. "With working in and living in New York, I really don't get much time to revisit old places. And when we had time for a vacation, Rose usually preferred places like Mexico or Hawaii." His body visibly tensed at the mention of her.

"How long did you two date for?" She realised how little she knew about him and the relationship that he'd lost.

"About three years." He said dryly, like it was time lost. "I guess it just gets to me that I wasted so much time on her."

"I wouldn't call it a wasted time." Elena added with an optimistic view. "I mean, every relationship teaches you something."

He released a short laugh. "Yeah, it taught me that I don't like my girlfriend cheating on me. Who would have thought?"

She smiled, playfully hitting his arm. "That's not what I meant. Each relationship shows you what you want, and what you don't want. Some people are just lessons that we need to learn."

"Okay, so what has your last relationship taught you?" He asked intrigued by her reasoning.

"That I want a love that consumes me. A passion, an adventure." She said dreamily, analysing each word carefully. "Maybe even a little danger." She looked up Damon, who was listening intently, as their eyes locked in an intense gaze.

* * *

**A/N: Here we go! Another chapter, I hope it lived up to your expectations ;) Thanks to everyone who left a review, faved, followed etc - It means the world to me and acts as a huge source of motivation for me keep writing. What did you all think? Are you excited to see how Damon and Elena will spend entire two days together? Do you think anything will happen between them? Let me know your thoughts! Stay safe :) x**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: New chapter is here! Thanks for the constant support guys :) I love reading all of your comments and seeing how you react to the characters. Yes, Damon is meant to be conflicted and annoying - he's far from Mr Perfect, but that's why we all love him, right? This journey is one where both Elena and Damon will have a lot lessons to learn, so buckle up and enjoy the ride! Hope you enjoy xx**

**Chapter 7 **

Elena's brown mahogany orbs glistened with a fire that dared to awake something deep within Damon, a part of him that he was yet to meet.

"You seem to know exactly what you want." Damon's words broke the momentarily silence, as he gushed admiringly over the boldness that spoke through Elena.

The women that he'd encountered in his life very rarely made their expectations clear. Maybe they didn't know what they wanted, or maybe they just didn't know how to encompass their desires into words.

Perhaps it wasn't even about that, perhaps it was about knowing the kind of feelings that needed to be evoked inside of them.

"Nope." She countered with a shrug. "I just know exactly what I _don't_ want, and that's what helps me not to waste my time anymore."

"Is that what made you break up with your ex?" He asked, as they continued strolling down the street which was now slightly less busy with the evening slowly approaching.

Damon's mind travelled to one of their first conversations when she mentioned her previous relationship, and at the time it really didn't interest him to know anything about Elena. Though it was only a handful of days ago, he felt like the dynamics between the two of them had changed drastically since then.

There was an appetite in him that drove him to find out more about the woman that filled his days. The Elena that pretended to be his girlfriend was playing a role, and she liked to remind him of that every step of the way. It began to bother him that he didn't know the true version of her, the one that she shielded from him because he didn't deserve to get to know her.

The expectations of another person were never something that he had to dwell on before. If Damon wanted someone, all he had to do was snap his fingers. What was it like to earn the privilege to be with someone?

"It's simple now that I think about it; I wasn't in love with him." Elena admitted with an ease, which made her nervous because she suddenly found herself feeling too comfortable around Damon. "And it was stupid to try and convince myself otherwise, cause like they say: when you know, you know, right?"

That last remark phased him into an uncomfortable tug of thoughts, leading down the whole aspect of love. Honestly, he never gave much credit to it. A relationship for him was about lust, passion, comfort.

The concept of being in love never appealed to him, because that meant surrendering all control and becoming a sick love puppy, all for what?

The whole thing was meant for weak people who needed a distraction in their lives, a label for every emotion that they felt.

With Damon it was always simple; he either felt attracted to a girl or he didn't. The attraction didn't mean 'please marry me and be mine forever', it simply correlated to 'let's have a good time while this thing lasts'.

That's precisely how his relationship with Rose went down. Things between them were working out, until she suddenly started demanding more from him. Damon had laid down his terms at the very beginning, letting her know how much she could expect in the long term, and she seemed to have been happy with that at first. The sex was good, they shared similar interests, she was fun to be around, and it was a perfect arrangement in his eyes.

"Yeah, can't say I'm an expert in that department." He settled on at last, with a low chuckle. "You want to grab something to eat? There's a great little place down here." He gestured towards a small restaurant with an outside terrace full of locals.

Elena's eyes brightened up at the mention of food, she was clearly excited by the prospect of finally filling her mouth with some delicious pasta. "It's like you read my mind cause I'm absolutely starving, let's go!" She naturally reached for Damon's hand and pulled him in that direction.

The sincerity in her reaction made Damon laugh, and he happily followed in suit, not minding the feel of her hand in his.

* * *

_Lucia _was a small authentic restaurant which greeted its guests with a smell of warm bread, which was freshly baked in an oven stoked by olive branches and wild fennel. Within its rustic red walls and with simple wooden tables each dressed in a dim candlelight, it catered for a state of tranquillity and sensuality that made for a perfect evening.

A glass of Don Pietro accompanied their conversation, as despite both their fears, they did not struggle to indulge in a pleasant conversation with one another. After spending the entire day in the Sicilian heat, the alcohol started taking its toll on Elena much sooner than she was used to and she found herself laughing away at stories that he shared with her.

Damon appeared so relaxed and carefree, and now that they were away from the spotlight Elena was starting to notice his quirks for the first time since they'd met. He was smart and funny, but the best thing of all was that he'd switched his charm off. There was no attempt to dazzle her with that hypnotising look of his, he was just being real and down to earth, showing her the Damon that very few people got to see.

"It's sourdough, which is made out of ancient Sicilian stone-ground flour." He explained, breaking the ingredients one by one as Elena listened with an awe, a smile plastered on her face. "What?"

He asked, taking a sip of the wine.

"You just know all these details about everything, it's kind of amazing." She complemented, her face resting in her palms.

The extent of his knowledge simply fascinated Elena, and quite frankly it just made him that much more attractive.

"I'm just a good cook." His lips curved into a grin, and he felt a wave of warmth at her words of admiration. Tipsy Elena was a lot nicer to him than the sober Elena, that much was obvious.

"I find that hard to believe. Do you even have the time to cook?"

"Not as much as I'd like, but I manage to find it every now and then." He answered and leaned over the table. "I'll cook for you one day."

His tone was assertive, but playful and Elena couldn't tell if he was being serious or just throwing her a bone to chase. The prospect of Damon wearing an apron and cooking something special just for her did seem enticing, she couldn't lie.

"What's your specialty, Chef Salvatore?" Her eyes narrowed in on him, and a coy smile crept up on her lips.

"Oh, I have more than one."

Elena watched as the words trailed off his tongue and his teeth very gently nipped on his bottom lip, and her eyes lingered there for a moment. They were so plump and soft, begging to be kissed. No matter how much she tried to push it to the back of her mind, it did not escape her that only last night _she _was the one doing the biting.

_Oh, what a cruel twist of fate._

"I could do anything, just how you want it." Damon continued huskily, tracing the rim of the wine glass with one finger.

Were they still discussing food? Either way Elena felt like she was about to start drooling.

Each word that left Damon's mouth and each movement that he carried out felt so calculated; he knew just how to evoke the desired emotion in her, she was an instrument that he knew perfectly well how to play.

A familiar flash of warmth settled in between her legs, and her breathing grew heavier, as images of their bodies pressed against each other flashed in front of her eyes. Now that she had a taste of how much pleasure this man could give her with a mere foreplay, it was nearly impossible not to want more.

"Without a doubt." She said almost breathlessly and rammed her thighs together.

As if that would solve the problem.

* * *

This was the first morning that Elena woke up in an empty bed, after spending the night in a separate bed. A slight headache served as a reminder of the wine that they had both consumed in an excessive amount, as if they were trying to wash down the awkwardness of being alone. Maybe it worked after all, because she actually enjoyed his company.

Did Damon enjoy himself too? _Ah, there it was_. The mind spiral had officially made its debut of the day.

It felt odd coming back to the hotel and heading off to separate beds, after sharing it with him the last couple of nights. Although there was also something satisfying about it, as it gave her the freedom to think over everything that happened.

Whenever Damon was around, Elena simply couldn't concentrate, and she wouldn't let her mind trail down certain paths. Was it crazy to feel this exposed, when he had no way of knowing of what she occupied her thoughts with? _Yes, yes it was. _

"_It's none of your business where I'm at."_ Damon's words muffled in the background, and though she felt weird ear dropping, she couldn't help it.

"_Because I don't want you with me."_

Elena's heart picked up its pace, did this mean that Damon wanted her there with him?

"_The business side of things is perfectly fine without you in it, Rose." _He scoffed, putting the her back in her place_. "Don't forget who the boss is."_

"_Elena is safe with me." _His tone was assertive, sending a chill down Elena's spine. This was precisely how she felt when she was with him… safe.

But Damon himself was the very connotation of danger, so how was it possible that she was able to stick her hand in the fire and not get burnt?

"_You should stop being so invested with my girlfriend and probably start paying attention to that leech boyfriend of yours. I'm done with this conversation. Don't call me again."_

Elena could hear him discard the phone to the side as it plumped down onto the bed.

Unbeknownst to each other they laid in the same positions, flat on their back with eyes

fixed on the ceiling, pondering over their thoughts.

The silence yet again proved to be a soothing company for the conflicting ray of emotions that settled over them.

* * *

The deal was sealed. A significant flow of cash was storming into _Salvatore Inc_ pockets, and Damon couldn't be more pleased with the outcome of the meeting with Ric.

As soon as Giuseppe and him would get back to New York, they would make their way back across the globe to meet with the rest of Ric's team in Singapore. It turned out that the initial business plan and a detailed blueprint of how they envisioned the _Vendicari Bay Resort _exceeded Ric's expectations.

With a pool bar, water park, spa facilities and authentic Italian restaurants onsite, it painted a perfect picture of the dream holiday resort. This partnership seemed promising, and Damon enjoyed the fact that Ric's style of work mirrored his in a lot of ways. They were both the modern type of a businessman; they didn't allow themselves to be ruled by outdated methods and rigid rules.

If it was healthy for the business, it was worth considering. You couldn't win if you didn't take risks, it was simple as that.

He asked Elena to accompany him at the meeting, given its more relaxed nature with it taking place at the top of the sun tower. She happily agreed, and once again he was proven right to bring her along with him, she was bright and observed their interaction intrigued.

It was also obvious that her charm did not fail to capture Ric's attention, as his eyes darted in the brunette's direction more than once and he even tried to gage her opinion on several occasions. That didn't surprise Damon, as he was finding it particularly difficult to keep his eyes off Elena today.

She wore a midnight floral midi-dress made from silk that reached down a little below her knees. The fitted corset-style top sat comfortably against her cleavage and the thin spaghetti straps showed off her shapely, tanned shoulders. He thought she looked beautiful and wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through the soft waves of her long brown hair.

A part of him even felt a sting of jealousy when other men's stare lingered on Elena for a little too long. He brushed it off, deciding it was the protective side of him looking out for her. He was a couple of years older than her, and the purity that she portrayed herself with strongly nudged him to keep that in mind.

With Elena it was made abundantly clear that what you saw is what you got. She wasn't the girl that you slept with to forget someone else, she was the one that made you forget about all the rest. But most men wouldn't see that, just like he hadn't until he got to know her. And he would be damned if he allowed any of them near her.

Damon exited the building alone, as Elena rushed off towards the end of the meeting, leaving them to finish off the rest alone. She seemed to be in a rush to answer the phone, and whilst he normally wouldn't consider himself to be nosy, the corner of his eye spotted the photo of Elena hugging some guy when it popped up on her screen. His first instinct was to ask her about it, but he quickly remembered that aside from their agreement, they had no obligations towards each other. So, why would she tell him?

And well, she might have broken up with her boyfriend, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be interested in someone else. Yeah, that bothered him.

"I'm sorry, I had to get this though." Elena apologised once Damon reached her side after picking her out from the crowd.

"No need to apologise." Damon dismissed; a small smile played on his lips. "I'm happy that you came in the first place, Ric seemed to like you."

"Really? I was kind of nervous at first, I didn't really know what he would be like."

Elena sounded surprised, but happy to make a good first impression. When Damon invited her to come along it felt somewhat of an honour to attend it with him, especially since on their way there, Damon gushed over how important this deal was to their company.

She couldn't help but think how risky it was of him to bring her along, when she had no knowledge or experience in the field.

"Well, God forbid he'd be anything like me the first time we met."

He mused with a grin, feeling comfortable enough to joke about it with her now.

She returned the smile, her cheeks flushed at the embarrassing memory. "Yeah, I guess Ric had it easier without me spilling a coffee all over him."

"Maybe. But I think we've already established that I was being a dick to you, regardless." He dropped his eyes to the ground for a moment. "Ric was adamant about us spending a weekend at his cottage somewhere up in Colorado."

"Seriously? Well, I guess he'll be very disappointed to find out that we didn't last." She mentioned mindlessly with a small laugh.

"He sure will." The sparkle in his eyes faded with disappointment, and he tried not to focus on that fleeting emotion within him.

The goal of their small trip was accomplished, and Elena's words prompted Damon that this would soon be over. And for whatever reason, he wasn't prepared to let it all fade away just yet.

"Hey, how do you feel about exploring?" Damon proposed, placing his palm on her waist as he watched her eyelids flicker at his touch.

"What do you mean?" She revelled in the warmth that emancipated from his body.

"I want to show you something."

* * *

Elena's eyes travelled along the stunning white seabed, which was made of a mixture of sand and pebbles that dazzled in the sunlight, as the sparkling blue sea stretched out in the background.

It took a second or two for the sight in front of her to sink in, when her lips finally stretched wider into a gaping grin.

"Damon, this is beautiful." She turned to face him, catching a ray of blissfulness in his soft expression. "How did you know about this place?"

"I used to come up here a lot when I wanted to be alone." A whiff of nostalgia engulfed him, as he took in the familiar surroundings of the secluded beach. "I got lost around here ages ago and stumbled across this place."

"Thought you'd like to see it." He added softly, overlooking the calmness of the sea.

"Do you want to jump in?" Elena dared to ask with a twinkle in her chocolate orbs, as her gaze held his.

"Only under one condition." He chimed with a leering smirk. "Clothes off."

Elena's lips pursed at first, but then a moment of boldness came over her under the intensity of his stare, and she wanted to let go of all that was holding her back. "Underwear on."

She giggled at Damon's bewildered reaction, as she slowly shimmied out of her dress, enjoying the way his alluring eyes danced along her body. She was now left standing in her lacy underwear yet didn't feel a hint of shyness. If anything, she felt more liberated than ever.

"Are you chickening out?" She teased, brushing past him as she walked off towards the shore.

Damon continued to watch as Elena entered the water, captivated by the level of confidence that she was displaying. For a woman of her calibre, she didn't display it often enough.

He grinned at the demonstration and finally began to shed his layer of clothing, discarding it next to Elena's dress.

The water felt warm and soothing, as he dove in straight away, washing off the ache in his muscles. Within a matter of seconds, he resurfaced directly next to Elena, his raven black hair was dripping with water that trailed down his strong jaw.

They stared at each other for a while with neither of them saying a word. His eyes seemed even more blue as she found herself drowning in their depths, with her breath hitched in her throat.

The gentle movement of the water pushed them closer together, and Elena's palms rested against Damon's stern pectoral muscles. His gaze momentarily dropped to her parting lips, remembering how they felt against his; so sweet and soft. His hands began to trail their way up her body, learning each curve along the way, before gently cupping her face and placing his lips to hers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lips to lips. Skin to Skin. His hands on her body. Her fingers in his hair. Mind in a daze.

That kiss literally knocked Elena out of her breath, blurring out the rest of the world. She couldn't fathom the fact that Damon kissed her… out of the blue, on his own terms.

It still lingered on her lips, as light as a feather, constantly playing on repeat in her mind. It began slowly and gently, almost like he was tasting her for the first time, before the pressure of it swiftly increased and his tongue parted her quivering lips, drawing her in. Their breaths mingled, as her delicate body melted into his and she returned his kiss just as ferociously.

There wasn't the usual wave of lust or desire washing over them, this experience was so remote from physical that she didn't even know how to begin to describe it. Amidst the cloud of dizziness, Damon was the one thing grounding her, sending a string of wild tremors down her spine.

And then within a few seconds; _poof, _the moment was gone.

The caress of his soft lips was now just a fleeting ghost as they slowly pulled away, staring into each other's eyes, surrounded with a deafening silence. Their eyes conveyed the emotions that they were not prepared to speak. There was a conflict of thoughts and feelings that had now spiralled out of control, because neither of them could identify what that moment of weakness meant.

And so, they never spoke of it, acting like nothing had happened.

A soothing gush of wind wrapped itself around their wet bodies as they came out of the water, reaching for the puddle of clothes that sat discarded on the shore.

The sunset overlooked the scene as they got dressed, this time keeping their hands to themselves, eyes darting away from each other. Neither Elena nor Damon dared to awake the avalanche of unsurfaced feelings. They were good at the screaming, lying, accusations, but when it came to sharing an honest conversation, they both drew a blank.

On the way back to the hotel, they resorted back to the safe confines of small talk, maintaining a distance between each other. One awkward moment was able to erase any progress that was ever made.

That night Elena laid in her bed restlessly, as sleep had successfully evaded her. The more she thought about what happened, the more anger she felt towards Damon. Somehow, he found the audacity to connect their lips in a kiss, but he clearly didn't have enough of it to fess up and tell her what that was all about.

Damon kissed _her_, and she was the one feeling guilty about it.

The guilt stemmed from the fact that she'd allowed herself to get lost in the heat of the moment, knowing very well that Damon just wanted to screw her. She would become another notch in his belt, and he'd have the satisfaction of being her first one-night stand.

But Elena had to admit that he sure had it in him, knowing exactly how to fool her. With one simple touch, Damon was able to stir up a whirl of emotions inside of her, kissing her in a way that he never had before and making it feel like it was something special.

In fact, no one had ever kissed her like that. It was simultaneously gentle and passionate, urging her to feel each emotion that was poured into it. And if she didn't know any better, she'd think that he was trying to savour every second of it.

Elena frowned, exhausted with the battle of thoughts and questions, and kicked off the covers in hopes of cooling down. The warning signs were there, and she could no longer ignore them; she had to stop herself from falling for Damon.

Before it was too late.

* * *

"How long are you going to be staring at me?"

Elena paused to ask after catching Damon's eyes on her once again during breakfast. She was still very much annoyed with him and his lingering stare was infuriating.

They hadn't exchanged too many words since they woke up, the air between them was still thick.

Damon seemed puzzled at her reaction, taking a sip of water before deflecting. "I wasn't staring."

He picked up his fork and got back to eating his scrambled eggs, with a newspaper nicely seated in the other hand.

The plan was to act completely normal, and up until that remark Damon figured he had been doing well in that regard. Where was his downfall? Elena made it too damn hard for him to concentrate on anything else, as she sat there sipping on the freshly squeezed juice, her luscious lips wrapped around the glass.

He had no clue as to what came over him when he decided to kiss her. It had seemed like a great idea, an act that was so spontaneous it came naturally. Sort of like being under a compulsion, there was nothing that could have stopped him from taking what he wanted.

Worst of all, if Elena hadn't pulled away, neither would Damon. In the right circumstances, with nothing to distract them and the passion ruling over them, he would have taken it all the way if she was on board. That made everything that much more complicated. Elena was the forbidden fruit that he was not allowed to take a bite from, and well, that just spurred him on even more.

He didn't feel anything for her, that much he knew already. They would never be feasible; she was too young, stubborn, and annoying. That _and_ she hated his guts, they were only being amicable for the sake of their agreement.

So why had she kissed him back? That bothered him. It messed with the entire theory that he'd built. How could he keep away when her body responded so intuitively to his touch?

"Damon, seriously." She sighed, pushing her plate out of the way and folding her arms on the table. "You're acting so strange ever since-"

"Fine, we kissed and now it's awkward." He interrupted nonchalantly without even batting an eyelash in her direction. "What's more to it, Elena?"

"No, _you_ kissed me." She injected with pretence and snatched the paper out of his hands, leaving him flabbergasted. "Then you never mentioned it again."

Damon mirrored her body language, deciding to pay her the attention that she had been demanding, and knowing damn well that the full focus would make her uncomfortable.

"Did you like it?"

Her eyes clearly widened.

"That's not what this is about."

He smirked, enjoying putting her on the spot. "So, you did."

"So, you're not going to tell me what that was about?" She glared at him, impatiently tapping her fingers on the table.

There was no point in getting into _that_ discussion with him; Damon liked to think that he knew her in and out, and she didn't have the energy to prove him otherwise.

"There's nothing to tell, Elena."

Elena grew frustrated with the mind fuck that Damon was revelling in, as she sighed annoyedly. "Fine."

"If you want me to tell you that it meant something, then no, it didn't."

The message settled in and his expression remained emotionless, like he had just asked her about the weather. Well, at least they were both on the same page.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear." She countered dismissively. "And if you thought that I wanted it to mean something, then you couldn't be more wrong, Damon."

"Good. Glad we cleared this up."

"Great."

Her tone was packed with fake enthusiasm, when finally, the waiter came over to collect their plates, breaking the tension.

"I'll be in my room packing my bag, so text me when you're ready to leave."

Elena communicated, getting up from the chair and slipping her phone into her purse. Damon registered the message with a simple nod and watched as she walked away.

Just another conversation ending in an argument. He was beginning to lose count of how many they have had, and that ritual didn't seem likely to change. Why did she even have to ask him about that? The whole point of a kiss was so that you didn't have to talk about it. But nothing could ever be simple with Elena, not even the most basic stuff.

Did it mean something to him? Of course not. He wasn't some sappy teenager pining after a girl. If he wanted Elena, he'd have her.

* * *

That morning they made their way back to Catania, only this time the car ride was a silent one. Maybe it was for the best, Elena tried drilling that thought into her head, as she stared out the window. They could have stayed in Palermo at least until the afternoon, but what for? There was nothing real between her and Damon, and she was a fool to think that even for a split of the second.

She didn't need the fake kisses and stories that carried no truth to them. The whole 'opening up' trick was just so that he could mess with her, and she immediately fell for it. Where was the assertive, strong-headed Elena that she knew? Drooling over Damon, apparently. It was her biggest weakness that she always yearned to see the good in people. And each time they went on to prove her that she was just naïve.

When they reached the resort, Elena didn't bother waiting on Damon. She took the duffel bag from the trunk of his Camaro and went to grab herself a drink from the bar. Upon entering the bar, she saw Rose cuddling up with the Travis guy, they were laughing and appeared to be having a good time, which confused Elena. Why was she still checking up on Damon if she had moved on? She scoffed under her breath. They were all just sad and pathetic.

Elena picked the table furthest away, nestling in and slipping on her earbuds. It had been a long time since she'd checked her social media, looking at other people's photos and taking some of her own was kind of the last thing on her mind, but she did manage to get a few good ones that were worth sharing. Besides, she had promised Bonnie and Caroline to keep them posted, so now was probably as good a time as ever to catch up on that.

There were a couple of messages from Matt that popped up on her Facebook, he still seemed eager to find out what went wrong in their relationship. She leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. Two weeks had passed since she broke things off with him, it was none of his business what she was doing in Italy and who she was with. How was it possible for her to erase a one-year relationship like it meant nothing? He would easily be able to understand that, if he'd just admit that they were never a good match.

Maybe if they'd met at a different stage of their lives, after she had gone through at least one romance that set her limbs on fire, maybe then she would settle for mediocre. That's what she thought up until this trip… how great would it be to meet a handsome stranger who would show you what it felt like to be alive? He wouldn't be the type to settle down with, but he could show you a level of passion that you'd never dreamed of. Coming to think of it, Damon was that type of guy.

The first night that she bumped into him at the Mystic Bar, a fraction of her thought that maybe he could be her Christian Grey, even if it was just for that one night. That would bend all the rules and morals, but the idea of being tarnished by him was… enticing. Now she knew better, Damon was nothing like the guy that she painted him to be in her head. A rude, impulsive, dick that reminded Elena that a fantasy was just that; a fantasy.

"Mind if I buy you that drink?"

Elena watched as Stefan asked the bartender to bring them a drink, and then proceeded to take a seat next to her.

"Ah, what the hell." She accepted the proposition with a shrug of the shoulders, putting her phone away. "What brings you here?"

"You, I guess." He smiled, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the chair. "Drinks are sort of our thing, don't you think?"

"Ouch, you're making me sound like an alcoholic." She added with a small laugh.

"I don't come off too good in that story either." Stefan chuckled, as the waitress brought them their drinks. "Did you happen to have my blazer on you last time?"

Whiskey on the rocks. Not exactly Elena's choice of poison, but right now she would chuck down whatever came her way.

"Didn't Damon throw that back in your face?" She winced at his question, taking a first sip.

It was only noon and she was already getting into the hard liquor. _What a day…_

"Oh yes, he did. I'm pretty much a dead-man walking after he sees me here with you." He commented amused, emptying the glass in nearly one go.

"Doubt that he would care." She countered, swirling the liquid around. _Did she say too much?_

Stefan keenly observed as he leaned back on his chair, intrigue flooded his green orbs.

"I don't know, he was really pissed at me for trying to get into your pants, and these were his exact words, by the way."

"Were you? Cause that would be kind of shitty, considering that he is your brother and all." She called him out without a care.

"Honestly? No." He sounded sincere, but he was a Salvatore, so anything was possible. "I just think that you're too good for my brother."

Wow, what a family. Elena gestured at the waiter to come over, needing something stronger to get through that type of conversation.

"What makes you say that?"

"Come on, Elena." He mocked, rolling his eyes. "It's not a secret that he just came out of a relationship, and you don't deserve to be girl that he uses to get over Rose."

She flinched at the forth coming observation and didn't really know how to defend herself or Damon.

"Why did she cheat on Damon?" She asked the first thing that came to mind, bypassing his earlier accusation.

"That's not really a question for me."

So, this is where he drew the line in butting into other people's lives, typical.

"We both know she is jealous that Damon's here with me, which means that she still has feelings for him." Elena pointed out, lowering her voice so that no one could overhear. "Why would she cheat if she loved him?"

Stefan sighed, disinterested with the direction in which this was heading. "I'm sure by now you've noticed that my brother isn't the easiest person to be with."

"That's not an excuse to cheat."

"She wanted him to propose, he was nowhere near that mind-set. That's all I know." He gave in after a while. "Damon's always been a bit off when it came it to commitment."

That was a newsflash. Elena never knew about the proposal, that sounded serious and Damon was… well, anything but serious.

Did that mean that Rose turned to Travis out of loneliness, desperation? Was she the one trying to make Damon jealous, so that he'd run back to her and finally offer her marriage? That was fucked up.

"Anything else you'd like to know?"

Elena sensed the sarcasm in his voice and felt a bit bad for using Stefan for information. But he was hardly a saint by sitting there and clearly hitting on her again.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just trying to understand Damon a bit more." She smiled at him apologetically.

"So, you still don't think that he's using you?"

_And he's paying $10,000 for it._

"I don't expect much, Stefan. We're just hanging out." That sounded like a safe thing to settle on.

"Well, if that ever changes, you have my number." He offered, knowing he had failed to get through to in the way that he intended.

"Why would Elena need your number?"

Elena shook her head in disbelief before she even looked at Damon, who was standing behind Stefan. She could hang out with whoever she wished, this was a free country, wasn't it?

"Damon, get off your brother's back." She shot him a glare, annoyed. "We were just talking."

"Relax." Stefan turned to face him, lifting his hands in defeat. "I was just keeping your girlfriend company."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I not clear enough last time?" Damon's words dripped with sarcasm, and he was fuming, that much she could see. "Keep your hand off of Elena, Stefan,"

Elena quickly stood up, grabbing Damon's hand. "Well, that was a lovely exchange, let's go now." She practically growled at him.

"Thanks for the drink, Stefan!" She called out and turned towards the exit, dragging Damon along.

They walked back to their room in silence, but the tension grew thick as they reached the door. She slid the cardkey in and opened the door, which Damon shut after himself with a loud thud.

"What the hell was that about?"

She demanded an explanation, furious.

"Are you mad that I interrupted your little rendezvous?" Damon taunted with a sly smile.

"You know what, I don't even care why you have such a shitty relationship with your brother." Elena was heaving with the pent-up frustration, as she walked right up to him. "All I want to know is why you treat me like I'm your enemy in all of this? Don't you trust me even a little bit?"

"You have no reason to be on my side."

"What reason do I have to be against you? I came here _with_ you, Damon. And all that you've done so far is insult me by insinuating that I'm easy enough to sleep with Stefan behind your back!"

"What the hell am I supposed to think when you've spent an entire night with him and now, you're out getting a drink together. It's like you're trying to make me jealous!" He accused, realising that somewhere amidst the fighting he had backed Elena into the wall.

"It _wasn't_ the entire night." She gritted out through her teeth, feeling the cold wall against her bare back. "And why would I even dream of making you jealous? You don't have any feelings, you're like a fucking statute."

"Oh, I have feelings, so many fucking feelings that you can't even begin to imagine what they're doing to me." He said shaking his head, as his gaze focused on Elena entirely.

"Maybe you should learn how to communicate them."

Damon's face hovered over Elena's as his hands rested on the wall on either side of her, effectively trapping her. They were both out of breath from all the shouting, their chests rose up and down, and their mouths felt far too dry for comfort.

Suddenly, his lips were on hers once again, and just like that Elena was swept up into the current, moaning into Damon's mouth and kissing him back with a matched hunger.

They didn't waste any time, as he slid both hands down to her ass, grabbing it through the material of her dress and picking her up without much effort. In turn, she wrapped her lean legs around his waist and nestled her fingers at the nape of his neck, tilting her head slightly to deepen their kiss.

Damon managed to walk them over to the sofa, clumsily collapsing onto it while still holding Elena in his arms. She was now straddling him, her dress riddled up and exposed her thighs, inviting Damon to freely roam over them. The feel of his rough hands on her soft skin provided her with a different kind of sensation, as she shamelessly rubbed herself against his growing member.

His teeth grazed against her neck and low growl left his lips at the circular movement of her hips, which released a pool of desire that gathered in between her legs. She pulled his face against hers and reconnected their lips, whilst reaching for his belt and fumbling with the buckle. She needed him, _scratch that_, she craved him, so badly that it physically hurt.

But she couldn't do it.

They couldn't go there.

Elena abruptly broke their kiss, looking up to see a disoriented Damon. "No, I can't." She muttered out breathless and climbed off Damon, pulling down her dress.

"What? What's wrong now?"

He sat up, looking heavily out of breath and his clothes all messed up.

"We can't do this, Damon."

"Why not?"

"Because you're just messing with my head!"

His eyes widened, the confusion growing on him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, please. I'm just a game to you." Elena blabbered, feeling the anger sink back in. "If I sleep with you now, you'll wake up tomorrow and act like nothing ever happened."

"I know I agreed to this charade, but I can't do this anymore. I can't have you kissing me, being all sweet and then acting like a dick, accusing me of the most stupid things. This is not what I signed up for." She stood up, nervously tucking away some loose strands of hair behind her ears.

"I'm going back home."

"Woah, you need to calm down." Damon grabbed the suitcase that she was about to start packing. "I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you, Elena. But don't make any irrational decisions."

"You're just you. And I'm tired of this mind fuck." She retrieved the suitcase and threw it onto the bed, as she scoured the bedroom for her stuff. "I'll send you your money back."

Damon watched as she paced the room back and forth, almost in a trance, not stopping at anything. He was confused as hell, and her reaction freaked him out. Had he been too harsh on her?

"Please, listen to me for one second." He grabbed her by the wrist, making sure to be delicate in halting her movement. "You're right, I was a dick. I'm sorry about that."

"I can change, I'm not an asshole to the core. Just please, stay." He pleaded with her, something he'd never done with anyone before.

Damon couldn't deny that he didn't want Elena to leave, despite everything, he liked having her with him.

"Why do you want me to stay?"

"Because I like you, Elena. Okay?" It was the most that he could offer her right now, giving her the liberty to interpret the statement in a number of ways.

Also giving himself something to think about, because there was a lot of truth to it, and now he was forced to face it.

"Please, will you wait until the end of our stay?"

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! :) So.. what do you all think of this one? Let me know your thoughts and stay safe everyone xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Please, will you wait until the end of our stay?"

"I can't." Elena shook her head adamantly, releasing herself from the confines of Damon's grip. "I'm exhausted, I need to step back from all of this."

"I get that." Damon nodded, putting his hand on her arms. "You need a break, so take one. How about I book you a day at the spa, and get out of your hair for the rest of the day?"

Elena paused to look at him, finding the sight of him all pleading and worried somewhat sweet. This was the sincerest Damon had been around her, he was acting like his life depended on it, did he really want her to stay that much? The voice in her head screamed at her to pack up and go, but some part of her wanted to stay.

"You promise to stop messing with me?"

"Yes." He added, visibly relieved. "I promise that I will not touch you again. If it's just us two, I mean."

The stern expression on Damon's face reaffirmed the seriousness of his statement, and that reassurance was all that it took to tip the scales for Elena.

It was precisely what she needed Damon to do; keep a distance and not look at her _that _way. Only then could they both control their urges, and maybe she'd stop winding herself up over the tiniest details and quit drawing fictitious scenarios in her head.

"Okay then." Elena gave in hesitantly, hoping that this wouldn't prove to be the worst mistake of all.

Was this the walk on the edge of the cliff that she yearned for after breaking up with Matt? This fear and excitement felt strangely empowering.

Damon smiled down at her, his eyes creased at the corners. "Thank you."

"I know I said that you'll have the day to yourself, but I'll also be gone this evening." He further explained, letting go of Elena and sliding his hands pockets. "I have to go to dinner tonight to brief my father and some of our team on the meeting with Ric."

Would Rose be there? The possibility entertained Elena's thoughts, sending a jolt of something that felt eerily similar to jealousy. It was daunting to think that Rose was still pining after Damon, and Trevor was merely a prod, which ironically placed him in the same bag as Elena. Would it change anything for Damon, if he knew that Rose cheated because he pushed her away?

No, no, no. A sense of panic washed over Elena, as she cursed herself for even trailing down that path. Damon's previous flings or relationships should not be of bother to her, she couldn't go down that road, not with Damon.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She still asked, protesting the voice of reason in her head.

"Nope, you're off duty today, remember?" He added with a wink and grabbed the key card from the coffee table. "I'll go and book you in at the spa."

He was gone before Elena had a chance to reply, to which she frowned. She flopped herself onto the bed and screamed into the nearby pillow.

When did she allow him to get under her skin? Why did she agree to stay? What the hell was wrong with her? Damon had more of an impact and control over her than she had given him credit for.

* * *

Damon got into the elevator, selecting the button that would take him to the first floor of the hotel, where the meeting was taking place. He was feeling smug about the feedback that he had from the meeting with Ric, the deal was secured and the rates that he negotiated were decent, in line with what would bring them a significant profit.

He was great at his job, everyone knew that. Not only that, people were drawn to him and respected his decisions, despite the fact that he was a dick most of the time. He liked to think of himself as cocky and hot headed, but for a good reason, he never failed to deliver.

Sure, he was perceived as a dick on most days, but when someone had to make a difficult decision that didn't sit right with the majority or when things had to be shown for what they were, he was suddenly a hero. That came to Damon easily; assessing a situation, making a clear judgement, and taking action.

This made him thrive as a businessman, but in turn it also took a toll on his relationships, and not just the non-platonic ones.

Stefan? He barely tolerated him, but they were still brothers and Damon would always be there to save his ass when it needed saving. When they were growing up, they'd bicker all the time and get into trouble at every step of the way. But they also shared a bond like no other, they'd jump into fire for each other, no questions asked.

Nowadays? Damon wasn't sure if there could ever be a reconciliation.

The Salvatore Brothers shared too many differences, which shattered bonds beyond repairing. Damon was the older brother, so by default he was expected to be the more mature, responsible one. Fair and just? That couldn't be more of a wrongful statement.

Damon had been filling in those exact shoes for the past twenty years, since their mother passed away when Stefan was just five years old. Back then Giuseppe was a wreck, losing the love of his life to cancer was the biggest loss that he had suffered, but what he struggled with the most was the bitter fact that life had continued to go on, and his sons needed him to be their rock.

But he wasn't, not until enough time had passed for Giuseppe to gain some strength to bury the pain and learn how to put on a brave face. Until then, there was a dark period in their lives during which Damon had no time to grieve. His little brother was relying on him to be the constant in his life, someone that he could always lean on, and that eradicated the possibility of dipping into any moments of weakness.

Through Damon's eyes, he lived through all of his teenage years and early adulthood being that responsible figure and it was a standard that Stefan always held him to, one that he became exhausted of living up to. His mistakes and mishaps cost him more than they should have, and Stefan's disappointment just grew with each of them. Some would say that he spiralled, but Damon saw it as letting loose, revelling in the carefree spirit that was snatched away from him at a young age.

"Can I take your order, sir?" The waitress approached Damon with a flirtatious smile, as he sat down at the table next to Giuseppe and greeted everyone present.

"A glass of water, please." He gave the girl a nod, not paying her the level of attention that she would be satisfied with.

The burning glare that Rose was drilling into Damon from across the table made him question his choice of beverage, but the events from this afternoon led him away from sulking in bourbon. His mind was a fog when he was in Elena's company, and he needed to stay alert.

"Now that we're all here, I think we can start." Giuseppe announced proudly, already familiar with the agenda of the meeting, as he looked towards Damon.

"Excuse me, can I say something before we proceed?" Rose interrupted, clearing her throat.

She looked at Giuseppe for permission and continued once he gave her the green light to go ahead. "I do not agree with Damon's approach and his decision not to consult the business analyst before going ahead and making the deal."

"You've got to be kidding me." Damon scorned, his eyes gaping between Giuseppe and Rose.

"Damon, calm down." His father reasoned in a calm manner.

"No, I will not be calm when my _employee_, which is precisely what you are, thinks she can order me around."

"I've been at this company for seven years." Rose spat the words out through her teeth, trying to keep her voice to a minimum and not gain the attention of other guests. "I do not appreciate you undermining me like that, the work that I do for this company is fundamental."

"No, don't go and play the victim." He shook his head. "As a managing director I had every right and the experience to go ahead with the deal that is a hundred percent beneficial for us, and I do _not_ need your guidance." His fist hit the table, causing it to shake.

The anger bubbled up inside of them, as they exchanged a lingering stare that set a chilling atmosphere at the table.

"What Damon means is that this was thoroughly discussed before and did not require your presence at the meet." Giuseppe chipped in, carefully measuring out his words. "But I sense the problem is somewhere else, isn't it?"

"No." They answered sternly.

Giuseppe sighed, discarding his napkin on the table. "I was assured that whatever the hell was going on between you two would not impact the business, has anything changed in that regard?"

Rose's eyes appeared teary, as she abruptly stood up from her chair. "Excuse me, I need a minute."

"Damon, go sort this out." His father nudged him, the look on his face fully expressed his disdain at their lack of professionalism.

Damon rolled his eyes and angrily departed from the table, following in the direction which Rose went off in.

This was not what he wanted to involve himself in, Rose made her bed and now she should be the one laying in it, she didn't deserve his sympathy. He shouldn't be the one to check up on her, that ship had long sailed.

"Are you done with that petty show of yours?" He said sneakily, once he had found her standing by the water fountain.

Rose wiped away a tear looking away from Damon. "Did you come to hurt me some more? Is that how you get off?

Everything about this was so typical of Rose. It always had to be about _her_. Manipulation and sympathy were the two biggest weapons that she never hesitated to use.

"Cause you're the one to talk." He let out a low laugh. "As far as I can remember, you're the one who cheated on me."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, I never cheated on you!" She fessed up, shaking her head. "I just wanted you to think that I did."

"You what?" He asked in obvious disbelief, raising an eyebrow.

"I wanted you to finally see me, to give me the undivided attention that you so eagerly give to your work and friends, but not to me." Rose walked up to him, nervously pleading with her eyes. "You always took me for granted, Damon. You were never jealous of me, you never claimed me. I needed you to wake up and see that you can lose me to someone else."

Damon took a step back, visibly exasperated by her confession. "So, this was all a game? A ruse to get me where you wanted?"

"No, it was never about that." She offered hastily, grabbing his hand. "Maybe I didn't choose the best way to go about it, but I didn't want to hurt you. You were just so distant all the time..."

"I saw you kissing him when we were still together, that's cheating in my book." He added agitated, still trying to grasp his head around the news.

Did it matter if what he saw that day was real or a farce? He still felt betrayed, it messed with his trust and knowing that she did it for attention angered him that much more.

"That was all that we did, otherwise it wouldn't work if you didn't see us!"

"And then what, you thought that I'd beg you to take your tongue out of his mouth and come back to me?" Damon yelled, forfeiting his earlier attempts at acting indifferent.

The ploy to make Rose jealous by flaunting his fake romance with Elena was one thing, he only wanted Rose to get a taste of her own medicine, to realise that he was the best she'd ever had and that she blew any chance of them ever being together.

But staging an affair at the expense of his loyalty and trust? That was fucked up, even in Damon's book.

"I thought that it would give you something to think about..." She sounded desperate, looking up at him like she was searching for a sign of pity. "But then you brought that little skank on this trip, and I didn't know what to think anymore."

"Don't call her that." He barked the command, his eyes darkening. "What Elena's doing here with me does not concern you. And there's nothing for you to get, I shouldn't need to reiterate the obvious, I want _nothing _to do with you." He enunciated each word with precision.

Rose didn't even flinch. Instead, Damon felt her hand creep up his chest, ever so gently like she was testing his limits, and he was about to explode.

"So, you have no problem erasing the past three years of our life?" She asked softly, trying to stir up the memories. "Don't you remember how good we used to be?"

Damon stilled, feeling her breath dance along his jawline. He didn't want to remember, but he also couldn't stop himself from trailing down the path of familiarity that gave him the security that he'd always yearned for. It was easy waking up next to Rose every day, knowing exactly how things would pan out, not having to pretend to be someone he wasn't.

So, when he felt her lips timidly brush against his, he did nothing to stop her. But the sensation felt foreign, it was a brisk and cold kiss, one that he had no desire to pour himself into. How did this ever do it for him before?

This felt wrong. He finally pushed Rose away, leaving her baffled and clearly hurt by the rejection.

"So, that's it? You don't love me anymore?" She asked in a shaky voice, fearing the response.

"Something tells me I never did."

Now he was sure of it.

* * *

The massage was relaxing. The face masks and steaming sessions were also great. But none of that helped Elena get out of her head, not even for a little bit. She left smelling like strawberries and vanilla, and her skin felt smoother than ever, but what use would she get out of it? Absolutely none.

After finishing the pampering session and finding way too much free time on her hands, Elena decided to take a walk down the beach. With each evening the same thoughts came back to circle her mind; their stay in Sicily was nearing its end. Today marked five days, and this meant that there were only five left. This made her feel a glitch of sadness that she struggled to understand.

Despite its ups and downs, this was the most fun that she'd had in a while. The regular life that she left behind was so bland in comparison to the Italian dream. Besides, what did she have waiting for her back in New York after this was over?

Just a bunch of friends eager to hear of the heated romance with the ever so experienced sex god. It was probably too bad that he was too occupied with his ex to pay any real attention to Elena.

Not that she wanted it, of course.

The point was that her life lacked a spark. Would there ever be anything else to it aside from being a part time barista and studying for a degree that would probably never get her a career? The reality of it all was just daunting.

She dialled Jeremy's number and instantly felt better listening to his goofy stories. Even the sound of him complaining about Elena smothering him with love put a smile on her face. Aside from Aunt Jenna, they only had each other, so it was especially difficult for Elena to keep lying to him about the real purpose of her trip to Italy.

But being the overprotective brother that Jeremy was despite being three years younger, he'd lose his shit if he knew the truth.

"So, when are you coming back from that secretive trip of yours?"

Elena rolled her eyes, walking barefoot down the shoreline. "It's not secretive, I told you I'm here with some friends from college. But I'll be back in five days, missing your big sis already?"

"You wish, I need to get a heads up so that you don't chop my head off for the mess that I have going on in my apartment." Jeremy chuckled on the other line. "And if it's not secretive then why does Bonnie look like she'd seen a ghost every time I ask her about it?"

"When did you see Bonnie?" She asked intrigued. Bonnie hadn't mentioned anything to Elena, and they don't usually run in the same circles, so it was kind of odd.

"What do you mean, I always see her around." He added after a pause. _Was he nervous?_

"Let's say that I believe you." She said unconvinced. This was definitely weird. "Did you get the bank transfer?"

"I did. It's a bit much though, Elena. Did you rob a bank?"

"Yes, Jeremy. That's what I've been so occupied with lately." She responded sarcastically, looking down at the sand. "Have you paid all your bills? And please tell me that you've been eating some real food and not just the usual crap from McDonalds?"

"Yes, _mom_." He chipped in with a long sigh. "Anything else you wanted to check up on?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grill you like that. I just want to make sure that you're okay, you're still my baby brother."

Jeremy was growing up, and he wasn't the reckless teenager that she had to protect from the rest of the world, of course she knew that. But it was hard for her to admit that recently the tables have turned, and suddenly she was the immature one. She was yet to learn the limits of her own stupidity though.

"I'm fine, Elena, trust me. I appreciate you helping me out. But I don't want you spending all your money on me, I can manage."

"Uh-ah, we're not having this conversation again. Just trust me when I tell you that I'm not out here homeless and starving, okay?" Elena smiled to herself, feeling a little smug.

The money from Damon was a nice bonus for obvious reasons, but the main goal was to save some of it up and share the rest with Jeremy. Their trust fund was running low and being tight on money had become a norm at this point. Once upon a time Elena had promised herself that she'd try her hardest to make something out of herself and help Jeremy along the way so that his journey wouldn't have as many bumpy roads. The influx of cash made it that much more feasible, and it made her feel better about accepting the deal in the first place.

There was a purpose to all the madness, after all.

On the way back to the hotel, Elena chose a more adventurous route, avoiding walking past the bar in fear of bumping into Stefan. It would be too awkward with him assuming they were drinking buddies of some sort, plus she didn't like the way that he was coming onto her just to spite Damon. Their feud had nothing to do with her and she wanted things to stay that way.

Upon reaching their suite, she was welcomed with the sight of Damon splattered across the sofa, his jacket messily discarded next to him. Surprisingly enough he wasn't nursing a glass of scotch, or any other alcohol for that matter. This was also the first time that she saw him watching TV, it was an oddly mundane activity that didn't really suit him for some reason.

Maybe Elena wasn't the only one who'd had a crappy day.

"Early finish?" She asked, plopping herself next to him and propping her feet up onto the coffee table.

His stare fixated on the position of her feet and for a second she thought that he was going to tell her off, but then his gaze flipped back to the screen in front of them. "Not early enough if you ask me."

"That bad, huh?"

"Don't really wanna talk about it." Damon responded with a small sigh. "How was the massage?"

"Good." She added with a small shrug. "Although I'd probably need at least ten of them to loosen up."

"Really? I feel like it might have taken the stick out of your ass already." He smirked lazily, catching her unimpressed reaction. "I'm kidding."

"And here I thought we could have had a normal conversation."

"Come on, we still can." He straightened up, extending his arm around the back of her seat. "I've just had a shit day, and you get all cute when you're mad."

Elena rolled her eyes, leaning back. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"If memory serves me right, I'm not allowed to give you compliments."

"Haha, very funny." A small smile forced itself on her lips. "I didn't say that you couldn't be nice to me. In fact, I'm _encouraging _you to stop being a douche."

He grinned at her, before briefly dropping his gaze to her body. "Since you put it that way, I've been meaning to tell you that I _love _the way this blue dress hugs every inch of your body."

She tried to tame down the on-coming blush, but the way that Damon's attention was fully geared towards her felt intimidating.

"Alright Casanova, I think that's enough compliments from you today." She cleared her throat nervously. He was told to keep his hands off her, but could she trust herself to do the same?

"Hey, seeing as we're both stuck here with nothing to do and nowhere to be, how about we entertain ourselves?"

"Damon!" She gasped.

"Woah, get your mind out of the gutter, _Elena_." He laughed at her bewilderment. "I was thinking that we could play a game or something."

She raised her brow suspiciously. "What kind of game?"

"That's entirely up to you, as long as it's something fun." He winked at her, as the innocence of his proposition wore away.

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the late update, I've been really busy recently unfortunately. There's not too much Delena content in this chapter, but the next one will make up for it ;) What did you all think? I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for all your reviews, I love reading them! They motivate me SOOOO much, so thank you. Stay safe xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"How about truth or dare?" Elena suggested against better judgement.

"Boring, but okay." Damon accepted with a chuckle. "I thought you kids had more creative ways of spending time."

"Sorry_ grandpa_, guess you've been out of the loop for some time now." She grinned, reaching for the menu. "I don't know about you but I'm starving, let's order room service."

"Good shout. We should also raid the mini fridge for some booze, this game was meant to be fun after all." He rolled his eyes, emptying out the contents of the fridge onto the coffee table, and pulling out mini bottles of Jack Daniels, Budweisers, Guinness.

So much for staying sober.

They ordered a large pizza with prosciutto ham, mushrooms and dried tomatoes, the best one of all according to Damon. By the time it arrived Elena had already changed into an oversized tee, getting comfortable on the sofa and nursing a cocktail that Damon had whipped up just for her using his mediocre bartender skills.

"You didn't hear me complain when I drank the coffee that you made." Damon commented, watching the disdain on Elena's face as she downed the drink.

She laughed, fighting to keep a straight face. The drink wasn't all that bad, it had a slight imbalance of ingredients, but there was no way in hell that she was going to share that with him. "Well, why would you? I make the_ best_ coffee."

"I'm sure that blondie that you work with could make one equally as good as yours." He challenged, finishing off his last piece of pizza. Elena was competitive, so he figured he'd give her a run for her money. "What's the philosophy behind it, anyway?"

"Caroline? I love that girl to bits, but she can't even make a good tea, and that only requires her to boil the water and prepare the tea-bag." She rolled her eyes, feeling full from the food and wiping the corners of her mouth. "It's all about the timing, having a stern touch, a firm grasp." She smiled devilishly, the bubbles clearly going to her head already.

"Yeah, and where did you practice that?"

"At the barista institute of New York, the first thing they get you started on is the milk frother."

He laughed, shaking his head. He liked it when she relaxed around him and acted dorky, like now when she was eating the pizza this messily and didn't care what she looked like. Well, in all fairness, Damon always thought that she looked good, maybe this explained his struggle to keep his eyes off of her.

"I'd like to see a diploma." He smirked, leaning back on the sofa

"It's a shame we can't have everything we want." Elena readjusted her position, sitting up and crossing her legs, with eagerness beaming from her bambi eyes. "So, now that you've plied me with all the alcohol you could find, it's time to play. Truth or Dare?"

"I'm like an open book, _Gilbert_. Truth"

Elena deemed it surprising that he remembered her last name, but also a tad disappointed with his pick. She wanted to dare him to do the crazy things that he'd never do in front of her, like strip or do karaoke to an Abba song. A girl could only dream.

The booze had her feeling braver than usual, and she'd been dying to know the truth about one particular moment. "Why did you kiss me? That time when we were swimming."

Damon chuckled, sitting still and appearing lost in thought. He sensed an acute wave of nervousness making itself known at the question, but Elena's upfrontness gave him some courage of his own.

"It felt right, and I just wanted to do it. "

She waited for a laugh or a smirk, but there was nothing. He held a perfectly straight expression on his face at the admission, and against all reason, she felt the flap of a butterfly in her stomach.

"Truth or Dare?" She heard him ask amidst the haze.

There were many other questions that she needed an answer to; why did it feel right, why couldn't he stop himself, what did it mean? Was she going crazy? _Yes, most definitely, yes_.

"Dare, I guess." She was still flabbergasted as she gulped down the rest of her drink. "Don't make me regret this."

"Have a little trust, Elena." He grinned, pleased as his forehead wrinkled in concentration. "Do a cartwheel."

Elena raised her brows at the command, her mind trailed back to what she was wearing. "I don't have any shorts under this shirt."

"That's fine by me." A cheeky grin graced his lips as he laid back on the sofa, folding both arms under his head. "Chop, chop."

She could refuse, tell him to go to hell and whatnot. But there was something oddly encouraging in Damon fawning over her little show, waiting to watch her every move. What harm was there in him getting a peep of her underwear? This was definitely the booze talking. Elena climbed off the sofa and cleared out enough space for the cartwheel.

"Watch and learn."

She hollered back at him, extending her arms and placing them on the floor one at a time and then swiftly kicking her feet over head, performing a perfect cartwheel and landing into a split.

Her sleek body moved ever so gracefully, and its agility seemed limitless, leaving Damon feeling hungry after the performance, having his eyes glued to the long lean legs.

Elena was all smiles getting up from the ground, when she met his widened baby blues and partially gaping lips.

"You're flexible." He mumbled with a hard swallow, having a hard time silencing an on-coming groan as he felt himself grow in his pants.

"I know, I used to be a gymnast." She added proudly, pulling down the t-shirt to cover up her bare thighs. He wasn't about to get a free show for a second time in a row. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Why don't you get on with your brother?" She was treading on thin ice, but the strained relationship of the two brothers posed a big question for her from the start.

"Really, you're going to waste your question on Stefan?"

Elena nodded, to which he sighed in defeat.

"We used to get along, that was until he started to hold me to standards higher than the average person could handle. Plus, he's butt-hurt that I'm taking over the company."

It seemed much more simple put this way, but in reality life always ended up more complicated. But he couldn't ignore how Elena's presence made him feel oddly at ease talking about it. Usually this was something that he would avoid, as he had convinced himself that if anyone was to learn the true extent of his problems, they'd run the other way.

"You didn't mention that you're taking over the company."

"That's what you took out of it?" Damon released a short laugh, opening a can of beer. "I don't know, it's nothing to brag about. I've known that it was going to happen since I was a kid, now it's just becoming a part of my reality. Anyway, now it's your turn."

Elena listened with intent, watching him take a long sip as his Adam's Apple bopped up and down. His sharply defined jaw was oddly sexy, yet another thing to add on the list of attributes.

"Truth."

"What do you really think of me?"

As the question left Damon's lips, the intensity of his gaze locked her in, leaving her startled. What did she think of him? The answer truly depended on the time of the day. Damon was like the river; always changing, always on the move.

"On a bad day? I think that you're a privileged dick. But sometimes, when it's just you and me, I think that you're a decent, sweet guy. A little lost perhaps, but aren't we all?" She said in a soft voice, tapping her fingers against the glass.

"Privileged dick, I guess I've earned that." He chuckled, raising his brow. "So, you don't find me even remotely attractive?"

"You know that you are, and you don't need _me _to tell you that."

"Maybe it means more coming from a smart-ass like you."

"Does it?" She asked, bringing herself to look into his eyes, as if they wouldn't deceive her.

"I liked to think that it doesn't, but here I am, taking shit from you that I would never take from anyone else." He took a deep breath before going on. "So I guess I do care about your opinion, after all."

"But you don't sound too happy about that." She observed, nervously biting her lips.

"I don't like living up to anyone's expectations, I've wasted too many years trying to please others." He shook his head, keeping his voice steady. "At the end of the day, people will drop you the minute you stop fitting the image that they created of you in their head."

"The right people will love you just the way you are." Elena smiled weakly, seeing a new, vulnerable side of Damon proved that they had so much more in common. They were both hurt at some point in their life, and the broken pieces still laid scattered around.

"So even you could love a privileged dick like me?"

The question hitched Elena's breath for a moment, and she didn't answer straight away.

"For what it's worth, I think that's just an act that you put on to guard yourself." She laid out with caution. "But love changes people, Damon. Whether you want it to or not, it will make you do and feel crazy things, and you'll end up doing stuff that you never normally would. But that's the beauty of it."

"Speaking from experience?" He asked, but did he really want to know if there was someone that occupied her mind? The need to know was stronger than reason.

"Nope, I told you I'm a hopeless romantic. And don't give me crap for that." She pointed a finger at him in a warning manner, a shy smile on her lips. "I've never really been in love, I don't think."

"Yeah, me neither." Damon settled at last with a sigh, as the last three years of his life hung over him like a dark cloud. There had been too many wasted days for it not to sting.

"Well, they say there's a first time for everything, right?"

The cliché made him chuckle, but the sight of Elena's doe eyes shimmering with a glimmer of hope, looking at him like he had all the answers made it impossible for him to outright disagree.

Damon moved closer to Elena, and slowly reached over with his thumb to wipe some pizza sauce from the corner of her mouth. "Right." He murmured, gently holding her chin in his palm.

Elena's gaze drifted to his perfect lips. Their taste was familiar, and the bittersweet feeling that followed was also far too familiar, but that was still not enough for the craving to disappear. She desperately needed a reminder of just how good it felt to drown in his kisses, without the condescending guilt.

Without giving it any more thought, she leaned in, colliding their lips, and allowing the emotions to take over. Damon stilled for a second, completely in shock, but as he felt the velvet of Elena's lips and the tip of her tongue asking for entrance, all the restraint went to hell.

He eagerly returned the kiss, matching her intensity as their tongues brawled for dominance. His hands travelled down her waist and settled on her smooth thighs, pulling her shirt upwards in the process. He enjoyed the feel of her silky skin under his fingertips, and the thought that she was all his for the taking drove him mad. The boldness awoke something in Damon, the passion and desire that he'd been trying to tame suddenly burst open, and he wasn't going to defy them.

Elena hovered over his body, hooking her bare legs around his waist and effectively pinning him under her, as her soft brown locks spread over Damon's chest. Their kissing was hard, frantic and slow, like they were trying to make up for all the time that they had wasted _not _savouring each stroke, each lick. Elena let out a muffled moan when he nibbled on her pouty lips, and simultaneously stroked his thumb over the wet material of her panties.

She was so wet, so ready for _him. _The bulge in his pants was excruciatingly painful, any control that he might have had before had now vanished. He wanted to fuck her endless, until his name was the only language that she could speak. Satisfied with the way that her body responded to his manifestations, he pulled her panties to the side and ran a finger down her slit, eliciting a groan from Elena.

"Oh fuck." She moaned when his skilful fingers slipped inside of her heat and the deliciously stretch that came with it. It's like her hips had a mind of her own, as she shamelessly rubbed herself against him, riding his hand, needing him deeper and harder. The combination of Damon pumping in and out of her, and his thumb gracing over her clit caused an electric surge to shoot through her body, and she knew that she was about to explode.

"_Damon_," She rasped in between their kisses, resting her forehead against his, heavily out of breath. There were no words, just the blissful sensation that he was giving her.

"I know baby, come for me." He whispered and swallowed her moans as she rode out the wave of pleasure on top of him.

Elena's limp body collapsed onto him, having experienced the best orgasm of her life from _just _his fingers. She couldn't think straight, filled with the flooding sensation, she needed him now more than ever.

Damon allowed her to catch her breath, diverting the tranquil kisses down her neck and gently slipping his fingers out of her. His hand was drenched in her wetness and he was desperate to taste the sweet nectar, but more than anything he wanted to bury himself inside of her. The sweet moans and groans, and the way her petite body grinded itself against his, made him rock hard.

He slowly flipped them over, rolling on top of her and catching the lustful gaze in her hooded eyes. She sat up on her elbows, reconnecting their lips and signalling that she was ready to continue, as her small hands reached for his belt. Damon grinned against her lips, clasping her wrist and halting her movement.

"What?"

"I want you in my bed."

He growled possessively and swept her up into his arms bridal style, moving them over to the bed. This was all that she wanted for so long, and the anticipation was killing her. Was she now a Damon addict? Was this how the obsession began? The spiral of questions came to an abrupt end when she felt her back hit the plush duvets, and saw Damon swiftly rid himself of his t-shirt and jeans, exposing the perfectly sculpted body that Elena always shied away from admiring.

Not tonight, she thought as her doe eyes hungrily roamed over his newly revealed skin, and fuck he was perfect. "Now you're a little overdressed, don't you think?" He added with a devilish smirk, as his hands crept up to the hem of Elena's t-shirt, helping to slide it off and leaving her in those lacy panties that he couldn't wait to tear off.

Damon took a moment to stop and appreciate just how perfect she looked, pondering over the fact that he had never seen anything more alluring in his life. She was simply beautiful in all ways possible, dripping with desire and observing him with avid curiosity, waiting for _him_.

His devouring stare sent a chill down Elena's spine, she wanted nothing more than for him to be pleased with what he saw, and the second his lips recaptured hers in a searing kiss, those inhibitions disappeared. His hot mouth was everywhere; on her lips, neck, breasts, until it finally engulfed her already erect nipple, licking and nipping at it in turns as he cradled the other breast with his rough palm. Her eyes rolled backwards in response to the overflowing pleasure, she needed him _now._

"Damon, _please_, just fuck me already." Elena breathed out, arching her back.

His eyes darkened with lust, and he kissed her hurriedly before sliding the panties down her legs and quickly getting rid of his own briefs. Their eyes hungrily bore into each other with anticipation, as his manhood had finally been relieved from its constraints and it now stood tall and proud against his stomach. Elena's mouth went dry at the raging hard-on, making Damon smirk in response.

Damon situated himself in between her already spread legs, pressing hungry kisses over every inch of her skin, taking his sweet time. He wanted to show her what it was like to experience real pleasure, what it felt like to completely unravel after finally getting the jolt that their bodies had begged for.

Once he finally positioned himself at the entrance, they both groaned at the sensation, desperate to unite.

"Elena," He said hoarsely, feeling her folds rub against the head of his cock. "I'm not wearing a condom." He managed to piece the words together, as the realisation hit him.

_Fuck, _this was the first time that it had slipped his mind. This girl was going to be the death of him.

"I'm on the pill." She muttered out unintelligently, not having a single care in the world.

Damon looked into her eyes one last time, searching for a silent permission, before he pushed into her with one stroke. They released an appreciative moan as he fully seated himself inside of her, and her inner muscles fully engulfed him.

"Fuck, you're so tight." He groaned in pleasure, dropping his head into the curve of her neck.

It had been a while for Elena, and the sensation of Damon filling her to the hilt was almost enough to send her over the edge. But then he slowly began to withdraw himself before thrusting back in, and each delicious stroke convinced her that she never wanted to feel anything else.

Damon smashed his lips onto hers again, as he took the back of her thighs into his hands and readjusted her legs around his waist, allowing him to penetrate her deeper, as he drove into her harder and faster. She matched his movements with her hips, taking him all the way in as he swallowed all her moans and whimpers, which only spurred him on even more.

This was like no other sexual encounter that she'd ever experienced, it almost felt like this was too much, like her body couldn't withhold this much pleasure all at once. But at the same time, she couldn't get enough of him. She wanted his weight on top of her, she wanted him to sink in deeper, she wanted his sweat to drop onto her.

The bed began creaking, as their breaths shortened and light sweat moistened their bodies, and Damon braced his hands on the headboard for support. Thanks to the position that he adopted, he was rubbing against the perfect spot and Elena whined in pleasure at the sensation, nearing her climax. He kept up his pace and the intensity of his thrusts, feeling her walls spasming around him as the pleasure overpowered her, and she came violently as he pounded into her. It only took a few more thrusts for Damon to groan in pleasure, as he emptied himself inside of Elena.

* * *

**A/N:** Did this make up for the lack of Delena in the last chapter? ;) I always have a funny time writing smut scenes like this, so I hope it came across how I imagined it would. I know this just one long scene, but it's a turning point in this story so I wanted to do it justice. The next chapter things will pick back up. So, is anyone catching feelings? What do you all think? :) I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for your reviews and support. Take care! x


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

An unrelenting thirst woke Elena up from her sleep, her heavy eyelids fluttered open one at a time, as her groggy brain tried to work out her location. The warm embrace around her waist served as an ice-cold reminder of where she was, with a fast-asleep Damon and his arm draped around her body. This was the moment that most women would kill for; being curled up in a Damon Salvatore-cocoon, in all his naked glory with his hard as a rock abs pressed against her back.

_Fuck._ Her doe eyes widened at the realisation that Damon was indeed naked.

The ache between her legs announced its presence, and she glanced beneath the covers for a confirmation, and yep, she was naked too. Then the memories of last night started flooding her mind; the languid kisses, the never-ending state of euphoria, the best orgasm of her life. She'd finally given in to her desires and had sex with_ Damon_. And not just good old, regular sex. It was the mind blowing, multi-orgasm kind which still made you weak in the knees the next day.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._

Trying not to wake him, she gently released herself from Damon's grasp and climbed out of bed. The clothes that they peeled from their skin in a passionate trance now laid scattered around, and that image in itself sent a wave of desire to her lower abdomen. Her cheeks flustered, remembering the effect that Damon's ministrations had on her body; she had crumbled like a house made out of cards under his faintest touch. It was everything that she hoped it would be, and more.

The naive denial had her fooled for a while, but deep down inside she always knew that she was crazily attracted to Damon. He was not the type of guy that someone could be immune to, and no matter how hard she tried to fight it, the overwhelming desire for him proved indestructible. Maybe Elena's lacklustre sexual experiences prior made it that much more alluring for her to sign up for the wild ride, but now that the morning was here, she had to face all of the emotions with a sober mindset and everything seemed much more complicated.

Especially now that she felt herself _still _wanting more, hindsight seemed like a bitch. Did she sentence herself to a lifetime obsession with the emotionally unavailable, hot-headed Damon Salvatore?

She leaned down to pick up her shirt from the floor, and considered throwing it just to cover herself for now, but as she brought it up to her nose and gave it a small sniff, it was thoroughly laced with the scent of Damon's musky cologne and that did crazy things to her heart. Would it always be like this now?

A long sigh escaped her, as she wrapped her naked body in a bathrobe and sneaked into the bathroom. A dull headache had kicked into full gear and Elena couldn't decide which was worse; the moral hangover or the pounding headache as a result of severe dehydration.

She swallowed some aspirin and washed it down with bottled water that sat next to the sink. The reflection in the mirror caught her attention, as her gaze lingered on the fresh hickeys that stained her neck and shoulders. _Great. _Damon branded her like she had belonged to him, and for some stupid reason, she welcomed this newfound knowledge with a rush of thrill. Apparently, some part didn't mind the idea of being his, making it clear that having sex with Damon had opened a Pandora's box that she was not prepared for.

"Elena?" Damon's hoarse voice travelled through the walls, followed by a soft knock on the door.

His presence startled Elena, she hoped that she would get more time to prepare herself for their interaction this morning. "Yeah?" She called out, putting away the bottle of water.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Okay, give me a second." She mumbled and quickly brushed her teeth, before emerging from the bathroom.

Damon tiredly leaned against the wall; the late night's toll evident on his face.

"Oh my god, Damon!" She called out, her eyes bulging out when they finally digested the fact that he was still completely naked, his body free for her viewing. "Cover up, would you?!"

"It's nothing you haven't seen before." He chuckled, taking the pleasure in lazily roaming his eyes over her body, although to his disappointment Elena had actually thought to put some clothes on already.

_First time sober,_ the thought flashed through Elena's mind, as she covered her eyes with her hand. "I'm well aware of that." She muttered out, sliding past him and heading for the sofa.

The sight of an empty bed this morning freaked Damon out, he couldn't lie. Elena was nowhere to be seen, and a part of him wondered if she had left for good this time. The possibility of that scenario hurt him more than he understood and scouring through last night's events he realised that he wasn't as drunk as he initially thought.

Every inch of Elena's skin, every small whimper, every freckle was cemented in his memory. And for that precise reason, Damon _wanted _to remember everything. He wanted to relish in those fleeting moments during which she belonged to him, called for him, begged for him. And call it possessiveness or whatever, but he was fucking desperate for her to remember too, so that she would know just how good he could make her feel.

But that brought on a whole different issue, because now Damon didn't know how to look at her in the same way anymore. It wouldn't be a far stretch to conclude that _nothing_ about them would ever be the same again. The way that his name sounded on her lips was permanently imprinted on his mind, and it was a sweet melody that he was desperate to hear again.

So, maybe it was a good thing that she wasn't in bed this morning. All it took was merely one night together, and he already felt himself becoming insatiable. Right there and then the damage was irrevocable, he was damned either way.

"Are you decent?" Elena asked upon hearing Damon entering the room, not daring to look his way.

She had to control her urges and seeing that perfectly chiselled body in daylight wouldn't help the cause.

"Yes, Elena." Damon rolled his eyes, pulling on a clean pair of underwear. "Come on, we had sex, this shouldn't be awkward anymore."

She cringed internally at his forthcoming approach, and finally turned to face him. "Yeah, about that. What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?" His brows furrowed and curiosity flashed across his face. Did she get the wrong idea? Had he said something stupid last night? It could be anything.

"So, you don't find any of this awkward at all?" Her eyes implored him to hear her out and be serious for once. "Things will be weird between us."

"Sure, if you let them." He pointed out with a sigh, tired of the conversation already. "I don't know what you want me to say, Elena. It's not like we're going to be a relationship."

"Woah," She countered in surprise, like someone had just poured a bucket of ice-cold water over her head. "Who said that I want a relationship with you?"

The assumption had Elena's heart racing, her eyes nervously darting the other way. Once again, she'd allowed herself to get lost in the moment, and clearly her walls were down for too long, making her seem too tolerant of his advances.

"All women want a relationship." He objected, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well I'm not all women, and I _don't_ want one." She firmly denied, taking offence to his presumptuous mind.

Elena wasn't like the other, feeble women who plastered themselves all over Damon. She had standards, morals, and respect for herself, or at least that's what she wanted to think. Had she let Damon sneak under her skin? Oh, who was she kidding, in this game she never stood a chance against him.

"Okay then, so what's the problem? We had a good time and I'm not opposed to doing it again." He said casually, biting his lip. "That's my stance on the situation."

"No, this can't happen again." She shook her head adamantly, eager to set the record straight. There would be no more mishaps on the way, there couldn't. "I mean I'm practically just an expensive hooker right now."

"Why would you think that?"

"You paid me to be here, and now I'm having sex with you. That's what a hooker does; gets paid to spread her legs. I don't see a difference."

Elena hated to admit this, but the thought had dwelled in the back of her head ever since his lips touched her for the very first time. How could any of this be real when her presence was conditional? It was naive of her to search for a thread of truth in something that was built on a lie.

Damon snickered, shaking his head and breaking the distance between them by taking a seat next to her. "Don't be ridiculous, you know that's not true."

Her body stiffened at the sudden proximity, making him realise that Elena wasn't as nonchalant about this as he hoped she would be. He continued in a softer, comforting voice. "This is so not like that, Elena. We lost control; it happens."

"How is it _not_ like that? We're practically strangers."

"Well, for one, I like you." He admitted, his confession eerily similar to the one that he'd used to stop her from leaving.

There was no time to question what the statement implied, Elena's mind was in a messy enough daze as it was, but ever since he'd said those words, they liked to sneak up on her late at night or early in the morning. What did 'like' even mean in Damon's dictionary? Was it a_ 'hey you're not as bad as I thought' _or _'you're not the worst company in the world'? _Would it be crazy to think that they could possibly imply a deeper connection, a glimmer of hope that maybe, somewhere down the line…? Yes, that would be crazy.

"_And_ I have respect for you, Elena. Yeah, I know that I'm a manwhore in your book, understandably I guess." He rolled his eyes, but much to his dislike, it had to be said. "But this wasn't just another one of my hook-ups, none of this was planned, and you are so far from easy."

"You really think that?"

"Yeah, why would I lie? Hell, you've turned me down more times than I care to remember. Give yourself some credit." He chuckled, seeing her face lighten up. "I don't like to brag, but I'm pretty sure you're the only girl that actually turned me down."

"Well I'm not a sex-addicted bunny, so I wouldn't really consider it a big achievement." She added with light-humour, as the tension finally eased off her shoulders. Damon had a way off words, she had to admit.

Damon grinned, getting back up on his feet feeling more than ready to leave the roams of their bedroom. "I'll pretend that I didn't hear that, you ready to go down for breakfast?"

"I'll just change into something else."

Damon nodded, a tight smile on his lips. A heavy sigh escaped him once Elena had disappeared from his sight, his hand grazed over the five o'clock shadow that emerged on his face overnight. He generally felt about as rough as he looked, the entire ordeal with Elena had started taking its toll, that much he knew.

This wasn't the turn of events that he had secretly hoped for, although he would never confess that to anyone, especially not to Elena. Everything about last night felt oddly right, and it had him wondering why and how it had taken them so long to give into temptation. The follow up conversation was inevitable, but it had panned out a little differently to what transpired in his imagination.

How exactly? That was a tricky question, and it brought up a whole bumpy road of conflicting thoughts and feelings that Damon didn't know how to tackle. This one nightstand shouldn't have had a lasting impression on him, but it certainly did. Amidst all this, he was sure of one thing; he didn't want a relationship nor was he capable of falling in love, with anyone. But at the same time, he wasn't satisfied with the idea of never speaking to Elena again after all this was over.

Elena's presence pulled him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Those chocolate orbs shone bright as they gazed back at him, a gentle smile tugging at her plump lips. There were a few seconds during which he'd held his breath for, and it just got to him that this was a common reaction for him; whenever she appeared by his side, his senses absorbed everything about her.

"Let's get going."

* * *

The hours flew by as there wasn't much to do around the resort, and neither Damon or Elena felt like branching out, both still nursing their hangovers with greasy food and power smoothies. Things didn't feel so awkward after their conversation this morning, and Elena was grateful for that; no matter how weirdly wired their relations were, Damon always managed to get through and stop her mind from spiralling.

Elena laid her book to rest next to the sun lounger, she'd barely had the time to read with everything that was going on recently, and it felt good to ease into a world of fiction that provided a relief from her own crazy life. Albeit, a sappy romance was probably the last thing that she should be reading these days.

She looked to her side, checking on Damon who'd been quiet for awfully long, but it was the comfortable type of silence, where it didn't feel awkward or weird. His shirtless appearance enticed her curious gaze to linger on his body for a little while longer, hoping that her sunglasses would act as a , he could easily be a model with those looks.

Any woman would be lucky to wake up next to him for the rest of her life.

_Woah, where did that come from?_

"Lurking again, are we?" He smirked, keeping his eyes on screen in front of him, as he typed away on the MacBook.

She blushed, his ability to sense things really amazed her, or perhaps her lurking wasn't as discrete as she thought. "Do you ever stop working?"

"Mm, you sound like a frustrated wife." He teased, turning to face her. "I had some things to finish off, that's the beauty of managing a company. It never sleeps."

"What is it that you actually do?" She asked, generally interested in the work that he did, as that seemed to absorb most, if not all of Damon's time.

"In a gist? I control all the business operations." He explained, putting his laptop away and shifting his body so that he was laying on his side. "You know, give our board of directors guidance, figure out our strategy, make sure all the shit gets done." He smiled at that last bit, gaining a small laugh from Elena.

"I'm sure you're good at that." She smiled, not surprised to hear that Damon was good at barking orders. "So, you just own a bunch of hotels?"

"We started off as a media agency, and then slowly started expanding. Now we own a hotel franchise and hope to acquire some new business in the future."

"You sound like you enjoy running the show." She pointed out, hearing the appraisal in his voice.

"I'm sure you've noticed that I like being in control." He smirked knowingly and Elena subdued under the innuendo, feeling her temperature rise. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm just a waitress, you know that." Elena brushed off, a little embarrassed. Damon had a world of experiences, family business or not, he was highly intelligent and amazing at his job.

Where Elena wasn't even sure if she'd picked the right major, for all she knew working at the cafe could end up being the highlight of her career.

"I meant what do you want to do after you get your degree. I remember you mentioned that you study English Literature, right?" Damon looked at her with unwavering eyes, genuinely surprised with himself for remembering this many detail about her life.

Maybe he wasn't such a bad listener after all.

She nodded in agreement and sighed. "I don't really know; I think time snuck up on me if I'm honest. When I was 18, I thought I had everything figured out and was dead set on getting there, now I'm not so sure."

Her voice grew softer, and her good mood had slowly started to chip away with the memory of her teenage years coming to light. It was a time of her life that she very rarely looked back on, mainly because it was a painful reminder of everything taking a different course and things never being the same again.

"Okay, you've officially bummed me out." She added with a small chuckle, wanting to avoid the topic. "Do you want anything from the bar?"

Damon bit his lip, as if he was about to say something, but ultimately decided against it noticing the change in her demeanour. "I'm good."

"Okay, be right back." She shot to her feet, grabbing a kimono to cover her bikini clad body.

The short walk to the bar gave her a brief moment to pull herself together, as she blinked a few tears away. This wasn't a typical reaction, it hadn't been for a while now, so she blamed it on the emotional turmoil that had been sucking her in recently. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Damon, so she felt at ease seeing a small queue at the bar.

She typed out a text message to Caroline, realising that she hadn't been keeping her in the loop as much, when a call from an unknown number flashed up on her screen. A sheer rush of panic washed over her, thinking that maybe something had happened to Jeremy, as she was his emergency contact for everything.

"Hello?" She answered hurriedly.

"Elena, hi." A male voice greeted on the other line.

Her nose scrunched up in confusion, relief mixed with frustration coming over her. "Matt? Why are you calling me?"

"Yeah, look I've been trying to reach you for a couple of days, and you've been ignoring all my messages. We need to talk about us."

_Ah, not this again. _Elena rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what the topic of this conversation was going to be.

"Why are you calling from some weird number?"

"Because you don't pick up when you know it's me." He explained gravely.

"That's because we don't have anything to talk about. I meant it when I said that it's over between us, I'm sorry."

"You break up with me after a year of being together, and then disappear from the face of the earth. I think you at least owe me an explanation." The anger was soaking through his strained voice, and it upset Elena to know that he was struggling to come to terms with this. It was never in her intentions to hurt him; she just couldn't bear to pretend any longer.

"Matty, it's not like that." She shook her head, swallowing a lump of guilt. "You'll always mean a lot to me, but it just wasn't working out between us and I'm sure you felt it too."

"I wish I was on the same page, Elena, trust me." He scoffed bitterly.

"We can meet up once I get back, okay? Just to talk things out, if that's what you want."

Suddenly she felt a firm hand snake itself around her waist, sending a gush of goose bumps over her skin.

"You're blocking the queue." Damon chuckled, motioning towards the group of people standing behind Elena waiting for her to move, as apparently, she dazed out during the phone call with Matt and stood still in the same spot.

"I'll call you when I get back to New York, I've got to go now." She hung up, slipping the phone away and turning towards Damon. "Sorry, I got distracted. Changed your mind about that drink?"

Damon's grip around Elena's waist loosened, but his hand still remained intact with her bare skin, sending her pulse racing. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and found it incredibly intoxicating to be this close to him again, especially when they were both barely wearing any clothes.

"Thought I'd keep you company, but I see someone beat me to the punch." He said casually, throwing it out there that he may have overheard some of her conversation.

_Matty_. Damon rolled his eyes at the overly sweet nickname. So, what if he didn't know the guy, it was totally justified that he didn't like him. And if he bothered Elena again, Damon was more than ready to put that moron in his place.

"Oh, you heard that?" She asked, cringing. "That was the ex that I told you about, I guess I haven't been all that fair towards him after the breakup."

"You're just going to let him manipulate you into guilt?"

"No, Matty-" She paused, clearing her throat. "Sorry, force of habit. Matt isn't like that, he's the sweetest guy I've ever known, honestly. I can't blame him for being upset, I just upped and left like he meant nothing to me."

"Does he know that you're here with me?" He drawled, a stern expression on his face.

"Oh no, only Bonnie and Caroline know that I'm here. He'd get madly jealous, and that would just make things worse." She sighed and met Damon's questioning gaze. "Bonnie is the girl that I was with at the bar that night."

"'Mhm, guess I can't blame him." He murmured, refusing to break their eye connection.

Damon absolutely hated the shadow of doubt and confusion that suddenly overcame him, it was like all his control had effectively sieved through his fingers. There was no space for jealousy in his life, no time for stupid feelings to mess with his head, yet here he was, _feeling_ things.

* * *

Elena twirled around on the dance floor, soft giggles falling from her lips as the DJ played a cheesy tune and knowing all the words made it impossible not to sing along. She nearly tripped up when Damon span her back into his arms, placing a hand on her lower back and slowing the pace to give them both a chance to catch their breath.

"I like this dress." He mused against her earlobe, as a lazy smirk stretched over his face.

Elena chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Thank your assistant, she's the one who picked it out."

It was a daring choice for the evening, but once she'd looked through all the stuff that Damon had gotten for her, it seemed like this one would be the best for an evening of wining, dining and now, dancing.

The plum satin lace material perfectly engulfed Elena's silhouette, and its short length exposed her long legs making her feel sexy, and confident. The longer she thought about it, the more confused she got; was it the dress or Damon making her feel this way?

"It wouldn't look half as good on anybody else." He lowered his voice; his thumb tracing circles over her back.

This motion gave her an urge to purr into his ear like a kitten, lean into his body, his touch and maybe even allow him to convince her that last night's show should get a sequel.

"Damon?"

"Yeah?"

Her parted lips quivered, as she prepared to say the words that would bring them closer to the forbidden fruit and throw all caution into the wind.

"Partner switch!" Tyler exclaimed happily, appearing by their side out of nowhere with Rebekah in his arms.

Would it be rude to decline?

"Sure." Elena smiled, reluctantly stepping away from Damon, who looked just as disappointed, to say the least.

They shared one knowing glance before being swept into their new dance partners, the air heavy with tension that had nothing to do with anger, and everything to do with lust.

"This your first time in Sicily?" Tyler asked, pulling her into him, a generous grin on his face.

"First time in Europe actually." She smiled back. "I guess you could say that I'm a total newbie."

Tyler was a nice guy, quite handsome too. They'd met earlier tonight as they were all seated at the same table, and honestly it had been a blast getting to know a bunch of new people. Sure, Damon had already introduced her to practically everyone, but she didn't get the opportunity to make friends with any of them.

Much to Elena's surprise she'd fit in pretty well, despite being a complete outcast. Even Rebekah tolerated her enough to be nice and cordial, despite having an obvious crush on Damon. This knowledge had her eyes nervously searching for the couple on the dance floor for a second, but then she had to shake herself out of it.

They were _not_ in a relationship. She couldn't act like the pretentious girlfriend who had claimed ownership over her boyfriend. Damon was single, very much single, and he wanted it to stay that way. If anyone had the right to be territorial it was Rose, and she was nowhere to be seen.

Elena put in the extra effort to engage in the conversation with Tyler, not because she found him boring but because she was distracted. He was a perfectly nice guy who'd even made her laugh a couple of times, but the vibrant electricity that she felt around Damon just wasn't there.

Once the song was over, Tyler pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, probably feeling bold after consuming a fairly large amount of alcohol. She laughed it off, deciding it was just a silly gesture, and made her way to the bathroom.

"You sure looked like you had fun with Mr Kissy over there." Damon's low voice came from behind Elena as her hand pressed on the doorknob.

She spun around on her heels, resting her back against the door, feeling like a prey being backed into a trap. "I see Rebekah's dug her claws out of you."

"Couldn't get rid of her sooner if I tried." He said unbothered, stalking his way up to Elena.

"I'd beat him to a pulp if he wasn't an employee."

"Why so serious?" She added with a playful smirk, a small gasp escaping her lips as he pressed her into the door, situating his knee between her thighs.

"The dumbass had some nerve kissing my girlfriend."

"I'm not really your girlfriend."

"Could have had me fooled." He whispered huskily, his lips merely an inch away from hers.

Damon could feel her warm breath on his skin, as her chest rose up and down, her cleavage threatening to spill out of the tight confines of her dress. The power that she held over him with just one gaze could easily destroy him, but he couldn't find a single care in the world, not right now.

The possibility of anyone stumbling across their bodies pressed against one another, ready to rip their clothes off felt… enticing, dangerous and arousing as hell.

Elena's fingers traced their way up his neck, stopping at its nape and curling into his hair, and before she knew it, he captured her lips in a hungry kiss.

Right in that moment, Elena realized that she was in deep trouble. But it was too late, she was already swept up into the current.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for the all the support and your lovely reviews last chapter, it makes me so happy to know that you're all actually liking this story, as it was just a figment of my imagination not too long ago and it's still surreal to think that someone else is enjoying my ideas and the way that I write. The overwhelming response has been a huge motivation, so I whipped this chapter up a whole week early for you. Again, I hope you enjoy it. Take care everyone xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Damon slammed Elena's slender body against the wall as soon as the door fell open, fumbling with the key long enough to make them both sear with impatience. He kicked it shut with his foot, causing a loud bang that did nothing for their distrait state of mind; their surroundings were now just a blur. His hands couldn't stay still, they ached to discover each curve of her body and memorise the feel of her smooth skin that taunted his fingertips. He wanted to learn her body in and out, to be able to work it like a map, knowing all the ins and outs.

Her lips devoured his mouth, taking in his bottom lip and grazing it fearlessly with her teeth, stroking her tongue against his to elicit low growls and soft moans that drenched her panties with desire. The way that he was touching her right now just wasn't enough, but at the same time it was more than she could handle. Damon evoked a side of her that she'd never met before, and _this _Elena was yet to discover her limits.

The roughness of his palm skimmed past the valley between her breasts, carelessly shoving away the fabric of her dress, revealing the erect nipples that screamed for his attention, and Damon wasn't one to keep a woman waiting. He took the nipple in between his thumb and the index finger, giving it a small pinch that provided for a mixture of pleasure and pain.

"Oh," She whimpered in pleasure, arching her back into the wall.

She caught the hazy smirk stretched across his face, and yeah, the cockiness was well earned, because he had her crumbling in his hands once again, and they'd barely gotten into any foreplay. As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, his lips departed from hers and then hungrily roamed over her exposed neck, alternating between nipping and licking, surely leaving marks along the way.

There was a short gasp that left her lips when the delicious teasing of her nipples haltered, and his hand slowly dropped down to her stomach and slipped under the mini dress that she was still wearing, for some stupid reason. He brazenly traced his finger along her folds, feeling the dampness of the satin thong which acted as a cruel barrier between them.

"You're so wet." He growled, slipping a finger inside. Elena moaned out loud at the sudden sensation._ Fuck,_ she was so ready, and it made withholding that much harder.

"Damon," She breathed out, her chest raising up and down rapidly as she tried to focus on conveying the message across. "Please."

Apparently, that was all that her brain could piece together.

The azure in his eyes was now laced with lust, languidly studying her reaction, as he then brought the finger up to his mouth and sucked off the sweet nectar, not daring to break their stare.

Her mouth went dry at the sight, and perhaps if this was someone else, she would have felt embarrassed for literally dripping with desire, but this was Damon. He elicited the purest and darkest parts of her, eagerly welcoming both. Seeing him taste her on his lips was easily the sexiest thing she'd ever witnessed, and it spiked a rush of lust.

Needing to have all of him, Elena snaked her arms around his neck and smashed their lips together, backing him into the direction of their bed. As their mouths fought for dominance, she caught a faint taste of herself on his tongue; mixed with the alcohol and his minty breath, it made her mind swirl. She was officially gone. Then, Damon's hands tightly gripped onto her ass, pulling her body against his, as they finally stumbled onto the bed.

Her dress had riddled all the way up to her waist and her heels fell off somewhere along the way, whereas Damon was still far too overdressed for her liking. She broke their kiss much to his disdain and diverted her attention to his pants; undoing the zipper and pulling them down his hips, and then doing the same with his briefs. This was what she'd been starving for; every part of Damon ready for her taking.

"It's your turn now." He pointed out impatiently, settling his hands on her hips and grounding Elena's stance on top of him.

Those parted thighs and the heated core pressed against him was too much to bear. Just the mere memory of how deliciously her walls clamped around his cock made the blood rush through his veins. How much longer could he last? He wasn't some horny teenager who'd never gotten any action before, but he sure felt like one, trying his hardest not to come undone within the second.

A sly smile taunted her lips. "In a minute." She slashed his hopes mercilessly, making it clear that now _she_ was the one in charge.

Her doe eyes drifted to the fully erect cock that laid against his toned stomach, noticing that some pre-cum had trailed down its side. She couldn't wait to wrap her tongue around its shaft and make Damon beg for it. At least that's the reaction that she was hoping for; she wanted to make him forget the world, allowing him to focus on the sweet pleasure that only she could give him.

With great precision and tenderness, she leaned down and swiped away the pre-cum with the tip of her tongue, watching Damon's face from under her hooded eyes. He was _very_ much cocky, it was a statement that she knew would make him chuckle, but it also made her wonder how in the world he'd ever managed to fit inside of her.

He groaned, his eyes rolling back as her warm breath tickled his cock. The thought of her sweet, hot mouth wrapped around his length was in-fucking-bearable. And just as he was about to flip them over and end the torture, her pouty lips engulfed the head of his cock.

"Fuck." He growled, feeling her tongue swirling around and taking him in deeper.

Any doubts and shyness that accompanied her at the start were now long gone, the in which his body was responding told Elena that she was doing everything right. And she couldn't help but smile, pleased with herself, as she looked up to meet his ravenous eyes.

This was the first time that she'd fully enjoyed herself doing this, it was like a fun game of testing each other's limits; licking him up and down, taking him all the way in and scratching its head against the back of her throat, like it was nothing. The sound of Damon's moans and the sharp in-takes of breath spurred her on even more; his pleasure was her pleasure.

He could feel his self-control faltering, as his lower abdomen began to tighten and his eyes rolled back, he was so close to the edge. Fuck, she was too damn good at dragging him to the brink of an explosion and acting oh so innocent whilst doing it.

"Elena, you need to stop." He murmured in a strained voice.

She smacked her head back up with a puzzled expression on her face. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it was perfect." Damon breathed out, shaking his head. "But when I'm going to cum, it's going to be inside of you."

He slowly sat up, bracing himself on his elbows and bringing his face closer to hers. Elena's lips curved into a soft smile, as her cheeks sported a rosy tint to them. They stilled for a moment, drowning in a daze, their hearts pounding against their chest as their lungs fought for some air.

This was the moment to pause and think about what the hell they were doing, to slow things down whilst they still had the chance. There were a million reasons why they shouldn't be doing this, but somehow none of them were powerful enough to stop them. There would always be time for regrets later.

With that, Damon clamped his lips firmly onto hers and she gave into the kiss greedily. To hell with regrets, she couldn't remember the last time anyone had ever made her feel this good. Her already parted thighs made it effortless to situate her entrance over his cock, bringing their bodies to the verge of being joined. She moved her panties to the side, not having the patience to slide them off completely, and slowly lowered herself onto his length.

A simultaneous groan left their lips at the sensation, as Damon entered her warmth inch by inch, gliding in smoothly, as if they'd done this a thousand times before. She wanted to savour this moment, the feeling of completeness that came over her at having him seated deep inside, feeling his pulse radiating inside of her. Why did he have to feel this good?

Feeling a surge of dominance, she ran her hands down his torso and reached for the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head and pushing him hard onto the bed. Damon smirked as he sunk into the mattress, clearly enjoying the dominant side of Elena, and placed his palms on her hips.

Amidst it all, it still bothered him that he was fully naked, and she was fully clothed. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he had the chance to find the words, Elena pressed a finger against his lips in a plea to silence him. The slow rotation of her hips paired with the subliminal bite to her lower lip had him forget about any earlier objections, and instead he just gave into her lead, thrusting his hips upward to meet hers.

They started off slowly, each thrust was deliberate, filling her to the core and then exiting, only to return in full force. She threw her head back and closed her eyes, not daring to cease the rolling motion of her hips. Her hair came loose and cascaded down her bare shoulders, as sweat trailed down her spine. There was nothing but obliterating sensation and the sound of their moans filling the room, as she called out in ecstasy at the first wave of her orgasm reaching her, and soon Damon felt himself come undone in trembling runs.

This night wasn't like any other night, and it certainly didn't go down as they expected it to. They took all the time in the world, not chasing their own release, but giving each other pleasure and simply getting lost in it, savouring every moment.

* * *

"Morning," He murmured, placing soft butterfly kisses along her spine.

Elena stirred sleepily, still feeling exhausted from the night before, but she certainly did not hate this type of a wakeup call.

"Hey." A soft giggle broke out at the tickling sensation from the short stubble of his beard, as his lips moved further down her back.

"You're depriving me of my sleep."

"Says the one who didn't let me go to sleep until four am." He chuckled, his eyes roaming over her body once again.

Now that Elena didn't have any objections to lying next to him naked, Damon found it hard not to steal an extra glance here and there, especially when there was no telling in how permanent this change of approach would be. For all he knew, things could go back to the way they were, and they'd end up pretending that nothing had ever happened between them.

His mind drew a blank when he tried to figure out why they ended up in bed together, again. Obviously, last night wasn't planned, nothing about them was ever thought out; they acted on pure instinct and for some reason that always meant that they slept together or at least came close to it.

Elena turned around to face him, tightly holding up the bedsheets against her chest. "I didn't hear you complain when I was on top of you."

He grinned, proudly showing off the pearly whites. He liked this confident and witty side of Elena. "I'm sure those three orgasms repaid you for all the hard work."

"Keeping count, are you?"

"I like to break my records; I'm aiming for five the next time." He mused, tracing his fingers down her arm.

This was a subtle approach at testing the waters, seeing where they were going with this. For Damon it was rather straight forward; they had a great sexual chemistry, he was attracted to her and well, they only had a few days left together, why not live them to the fullest?

But there was also that faint voice in the back of his head reminding him that maybe it was time to stop thinking with his dick and start to consider the risks that were at stake.

In his book this was just sex, and Elena was just another girl, but she'd told him that this wasn't her scene. The whole 'no strings attached' and 'friends with benefits' thing wasn't something that she'd considered before, she was the girl who hopelessly searched for love and wanted a real relationship with a guy who deserved her. So, what the hell was he doing, crossing a line that he'd never planned to cross?

"Aren't you scared of breaking a hip? You know, given your age and everything, you should probably take it easy in bed." She teased with a smile, as set of goose bumps followed in suit of Damon's touch.

"Thirty is the new twenty, haven't you heard?" He chuckled, propping himself up on one elbow. "So, are you going to tell me what brought _this_ on?"

Elena mimicked Damon's posture, taking the pleasure in admiring his naked chest that he did not bother to cover up, and for that she was grateful. "What do you mean?"

She asked redundantly, a hint of curiosity present in her tone. If anything, this sudden change should work in Damon's favour, so why did he feel the need to question it?

"Come on, Lena. What happened to 'we're not doing _this_ ever again'?"

She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a timid smile. "I don't know, maybe I just want to live a little. And you make me do things that I never did before, so it so bad that I give in?"

"So, you're using me?" He questioned with a raised brow.

"Not any more than you use me."

"Guess I can't argue with that." He added at last, not taking offence to her words. They were both using each other at this point for their own gain, however twisted that was. "So, you're okay with us having sex, and being nothing more?"

"Yeah, why is that so weird?" She rolled her eyes. "Did you think that I was expecting some sort of a proposal because we've had sex twice?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at the bluntness, and honestly that's what he liked about her the most. "Well, more like six times, but go on."

"Fine, six times on two occasions, better? Anyway, I'm not an idiot, Damon. I know this is just about sex. No offence or anything, but I don't want a relationship with you. And I know that you sure as hell don't want one with me."

"Sounds like you thought this out pretty well."

"Well, my head was a mess after we first slept together." She sighed, finding it easy to open up to him. Damon wasn't one to judge, so it didn't make sense to shield the thoughts that occupied her mind.

"I've never had a one nightstand before, you know that. But I can't deny that whenever we're together it always leads to kissing or having sex, and I don't know how to keep it under control. So, why bother fighting it? We only have three days left here, and after this is over, I can just go back to and be the perfectly good Elena."

A familiar distaste made itself known at the mention of their trip coming to an end and things going back to 'normal'. Damon didn't even know what his new normal was. The life that he knew had been turned upside down; there would be no more Rose, no set routine, no plans for the future. This was the second time in his life that he'd felt truly lost, with no idea of which route to take next.

"What's going to happen when we go back to New York?" Damon broke the silence with an underlying tension in his voice.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"Nothing, I mean we're not going to see each other, so not giving into _this_ is going to be a whole lot easier." Elena proposed with optimism but knowing all too well that she could only hope that would be the case.

"And then what, you're going back to searching for Mr Right?" His brows furrowed.

"Searching for a boyfriend isn't really my top priority. I have to go back to work, get ready for my final year of college."

"What about your ex? It sounded like he wants you back."

"Just because he wants me doesn't mean that he gets to have me." She pointed out assertively. "I'm hoping that he'll leave me alone if I just meet with him one last time, give him the closure that he deserves."

"I don't know, Elena. It sounds like the guy is obsessed with you, is it a good idea to see him by yourself?"

She smiled, taking in his serious demeanour. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think that you were worried about me."

"Would it be so crazy if I was?" He murmured, setting his unwavering gaze on Elena.

In the little time that they spent together, some part of him grew protective over her, and the idea of someone hurting her was unbearable.

"I guess not." She replied softly, a little surprised by Damon's rawness. "But anyway, there's nothing to worry about, Matt is harmless."

"But he's jealous, and a jealous man can go above and beyond to get what he wants."

"You sound like you know a thing or two about that."

"Didn't you call me a caveman once?" He recalled their drive to Palermo, and their thousandth argument at that point. "I'm possessive, hot-headed and not too proud to admit that I do get jealous."

"Yeah, how could I forget." She added with a small laugh. "I'll be fine, I promise. I know how to look out for myself."

"I know that you do."

Damon had no doubts about that. Elena was this unique mixture of a strong, confident woman but she wasn't afraid of dipping into the vulnerable side of her that sometimes needed reassurance or a kick in the butt to gear her in the right direction. And it was oddly satisfying to be the person that she would sometimes lean on.

* * *

With the morning quickly slipping through their fingers, they finally made their way down to fill up on some brunch and coffee. They've slipped into a comfortable routine of being around each other and sharing a laugh, so much that Damon had slowly began to forget the real purpose of their stay there. But with the recent developments and Rose lying to him about cheating and who knew what else, it felt good to just relax.

That was the plan until Damon felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, and as he turned around to see who it was, he was met with a tightly knotted look on his father's face.

"Damon, can I have a word with you?" Giuseppe asked, pulling Damon to the side.

This couldn't be good. Damon sighed, following him out onto the patio. "What's going on?"

Giuseppe stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trousers, looking out into the distance. "Did you hear that Rose is leaving?"

"Leaving what? The company?" He questioned in shock, what the hell was she thinking? Rose would never do that, her career meant everything to her.

"No, not yet at least." Giuseppe corrected, shaking his head. "She's leaving for New York tomorrow morning, and something tells me that she's going to hand in her resignation when we get back to the office."

"What makes you think that?"

He sighed, looking at his son with clear disdain. "That's what I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me. What the hell did you say to her?"

Damon snickered in disbelief. "What makes you think it was anything that I did? She cheated on me, yet somehow I'm the bad guy in all of this?"

"I know that you like to hold grudges, and sometimes this hatred blinds you. Isn't that why you brought this girl along here?"

His jaw clenched. "Why do you have to bring her into this? Rose didn't come alone either, why doesn't that bother you?"

Giuseppe cleared his throat, looking away. "She loves you son, and I think you're making a terrible mistake by not giving her another chance."

"No, you can't be serious." He let out a humourless laugh, slightly raising his voice. "If she loved me, then why the fuck would she cheat on me? And why would she bring that idiot here, huh? Sounds like a pretty fucked up love story to me."

"I know that she hurt you, I understand that. But people make terrible mistakes, does that mean that they don't deserve to be forgiven? Does one bad thing erase all of the good ones?"

Damon backed away, throwing his head back and releasing a shuddering sigh. He felt the anger surge through him, but that wasn't what got to him the most. It was the realisation that his father happily overlooked his son's pain and chose to stand by the woman that hurt him.

"She put you up for this, didn't she?"

"I don't want you to lose a good relationship, just because you can't put those things past you. I know that you were going to propose, Damon. Are you going to throw all that away?"

He snapped a gravely glare at Giuseppe, the hurt evident in his expression.

"You have no fucking idea what you're talking about. We're done here."

Damon stormed off angrily, not looking back. This brought back a lot of memories that he had no interest in reliving, and how the fuck did Giuseppe even know that he'd considered proposing?

It was a stupid idea that he'd entertained for a few moments, because at the time it made sense to him, and quite frankly Rose would never shut up about wanting to get married one day.

When things were good between them, whatever they had seemed to work. He cared about Rose, she was a constant in his life for three years; always there for him, staying by his side through everything, forgiving him for the stupid shit that he did. And for a while it felt like maybe that's the kind of relationship that would also work in the long term. After all, he was already thirty and the idea of marriage shouldn't seem too abstract.

But in the end, he'd decided against it, it didn't feel right. And not too long after that, he found Rose in the arms of a douche bag, so clearly _not_ proposing was the best decision that he'd ever made.

Devoured by the anger that had come over him, Damon didn't know how he had ended up outside of Rose's hotel room, vigorously knocking on her door. He didn't know what brought him there, and what it was that he wanted to say, but whatever it was, he needed to get it off his shoulders.

It didn't take a long time for the disorientated brunette to open up. "Damon, what are you doing here?"

"Inside." He barked the command, bypassing Rose and barging in.

She shut the door baffled by his appearance and followed him into the main bedroom. "What the hell?"

"How did you know?" He had his arms on his hips, as he stared her down.

"How did I know what?"

"Don't fucking play with me, Rose." He growled, not willing to withhold any more bullshit from her. "How did you know about the proposal?"

She fell silent, her gaze dropping to her feet.

"Don't make-"

"I heard you talking to Enzo about it." Rose interrupted hurriedly. "Why didn't you do it?"

"Because I decided that I didn't want to." He said it louder than necessary, intending for it to hurt.

"Be honest with me, would you have done it had I not kissed him?" She hesitated in asking the question, already anticipating the force that his answer would hit her with.

"No."

Her lips fell into a tight line, as tears welled up in her eyes. "Did you ever love me?"

"I cared about you. I would have never done anything to hurt you." He sighed, slumping his shoulders defeatedly as if all the gas that fuelled him ran out. "Maybe it wasn't exactly what you wanted from me, but it was all that I could give."

She nodded, not fazed by the confession. "I think I always loved for the two of us… I just always figured that one day you'd wake up and tell me that you did too."

"And I didn't know any better. I should have let you go a long time ago, back when it was clear that you wanted so much more than I could offer."

"For what it's worth, if I didn't fuck up, I think things would have worked themselves out. I was happy with you, I really was." She added quietly, in retrospect everything could have been different if she'd only found the courage to speak to Damon, tell him how she really felt.

"But you did, and things are fine the way they are."

She bit her lip nervously. "For you, maybe."

"I don't even know why I came here." He sat down on the edge of her bed, burying his face in his hands. "Are you going to leave the company?"

Rose sat down on the other end of the bed, placing her hands in her lap. "I don't know. Do you want me to?"

"No." He added truthfully. "And don't confuse that with me wanting you there. I hate you for what you did, but I also know how good you are at your job."

"Thank you." A very brief smile fell upon her face. "I know that you don't owe me anything, but can you do this one thing for me?"

"That depends on what you want."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "I know that I fucked up and may have ruined the best thing that ever happened to me. But we were good once, right?"

Damon sighed, already regretting giving into this emotional turmoil. "Where are you going with this?"

"I get you, like no one else does. You might not be the one to shout I love you from the roof top, but when you care about someone, you'd jump into fire for them. And I guess that what I'm trying to say is that I love you just the way you are, Damon."

He stood up abruptly, not liking where she was going with it. "Save it Rose, I don't need to hear this."

"No, no, wait." She grabbed Damon's arm, stopping him from leaving. "Please, just promise me that you'll think about giving us, me, another chance. I shouldn't have lied to you, I shouldn't have kissed another guy, but I learnt from my mistakes."

"You betrayed me and lost my trust; you can't ever get that back."

She swallowed, as a tear escaped from the corner of her eyes. "I just want you to think about it."

There was nothing to think about, nothing to consider, not after what she did. Damon might have not known much about love, but he was adamant that was not it. Cheating, lying and playing stupid games was surely not a part of what a relationship should look like. Yet he still conflicted with his emotions, stuck between what was right and wrong, and what he really wanted from life. How could he ever forgive her for this? Then again, what was the point in trying if he knew that he wasn't ever in love with her?

"My flight is leaving tomorrow morning, but I'll be here until midnight, so please... if you find it in you to forgive me, please come and see me before I leave."

He was quite certain that he knew the answer, but some part of him yearned to forgive and forget. Everything would have been so much easier if he could just move on and not dwell on the pain and anger. But was that really what he wanted?

"I need to go." He dropped his gaze and rushed out the door.

Well, going to see Rose proved to be a horrible mistake. What the hell was he going to do now? Why did she have to force these thoughts and doubts into his mind, like he didn't have enough on his plate already. Damon was fuming inside, and all that he could focus on was finding Elena. Amidst this mess, he completely forgot that he'd practically abandoned her this morning without bothering to shed some light on what was going on. He needed to see her.

Their apartment was empty, nothing looked out of place; the bed was still unmade, and their stuff was still plastered all over the floor, did the cleaning staff have a day off or something? Damon sighed, checking his phone to see if there were any texts or calls from Elena. Nothing. So, he called her once, and then a second time, but there was no answer. He grabbed his car keys from the drawer, stuffed them into his pocket and proceeded to dig out the small duffel bag that he brought with him on the trip.

His eyes scanned the closet for some clean clothes, and he grabbed a pair of each garment, throwing it inside the bag. There was no time to think anything over, he had to get away from this place. It didn't take more than five minutes for Damon to be out the door, making his way down to the hotel lobby and hoping that they'd bump into each other somewhere on the way.

As Damon walked past the pool bar, he saw Lockwood fawning over some brunette by the cocktail station. He was grinning from ear to ear, appearing deeply engaged in their conversation, his eyes never steering away from the girl sitting next to him. And then a familiar, heart-warming laughter filled the room and Damon didn't need to search any further.

"Damon," Tyler's grin significantly decreased in its size, as he watched Damon approach them.

Elena spun around on the bar stool, happy to finally see Damon. "Hey, you."

"Hey." He sent her a genuine smile, all the pre-acquired anger disappearing into thin air. "I've been looking for you." He leaned down to kiss her; to mark his territory, or maybe because he simply needed it.

She smiled against his lips, a little surprised by the greeting, but figured that it was just a part of keeping up the charade. "I was just out here sunbathing and bumped into Tyler."

"Yep, Lena was out here all by herself, thought I'd keep her some company." Tyler added with a chuckle, taking a sip of his beer.

Lena. Who the fuck did this dude think he was?

"Mm, I can see that." Damon acknowledged with a small nod, his eyes narrowing in on Tyler in a less friendly manner. "Rebekah was asking about you earlier, did you get a chance to speak to her? She seemed kind of angry." He mused with fake intrigue.

"Oh, really? I haven't seen her at all today." Tyler's forehead wrinkled in confusion, trying to figure out what that could be about. "I should probably go and look for her then, anyway, I'll see you two around."

"Thanks for the drink." Elena called out, and he smiled back at her, before walking off. "When did you see Rebekah?" She turned to Damon with an arched brow.

He shrugged, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Haven't seen her since last night."

"So why did you Tyler that she was looking for him?" Elena scrunched her nose in confusion.

"Helping young love, doing my part in the neighbourhood, who cares." He rolled his eyes, fed up with the small talk. "How do you feel about going on a trip?"

"Where?"

"I don't know, wherever the road leads us. Come on, let's not waste any more time." He grabbed her hand.

"Damon, wait. I can't go dressed like this." Elena protested, pointing to the white bikini under her khaki cardigan.

"Sure you can." He winked, taking in the skimpy attire. She looked beautiful and it didn't matter what she was wearing. "You can get changed in the car."

"And why are my clothes in the car?"

He turned around, facing her. "Can you just go along with me on this one, please? Trust me."

"Ah, fine. But don't make me regret this."

"I wouldn't dare."

* * *

**A/N: And I'm back with another chapter! It took me a little longer to get this one out, work has been crazy in the last few weeks, sorry about the wait! I will try and have the next one out within a week. Anyway, this chapter is quite a long one so I had to cut it where I did, as there will be a lot happening in the next ones ;) It's always a blast to write the interactions between these two, their conversations just flow. I hope you enjoyed the extra smut ;) Please let me know what your thoughts are on this, and thank you for your lovely reviews on the previous chapter. Take care! xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Had it only been twenty minutes or an eternity? Damon seemed to be driving around aimlessly, tightly gripping onto the steering wheel and boring his eyes on the road ahead.

There was an unresolved tension, only this time it had nothing to do with their sexual frustration, and that left Elena lost for words. She didn't have much experience dealing with a serious Damon, normally she endured battling with his sarcastic jokes and sexual innuendos, and now what?

Elena's dubious gaze wandered to Damon briefly, unsure if she should approach him or let him be. Again, just as a few minutes before, a stubborn grimace laced his face. The only word to describe his mood was grim, so very grim.

She chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating on what to say to break the ice. Why was she losing her mind over a silly conversation starter? Because this was Damon, and he made her feel all sorts of weird things and was the biggest cause of bringing out unprecedented behaviours that Elena had no explanations for.

"I hope that you have some back up gas in the trunk if you're planning on driving around the whole day." She finally choked out, culminating the tiring battle of words in her head.

"How long have you been sitting on that one?" There was a trace of that signature smirk on his face, and that provided her with a great sense of relief.

No one could be that mad and sport a smirk like that.

Elena eased into her seat, drifting into some comfort. "Sorry for not wanting to get my head snapped off for saying the wrong thing."

Damon briefly turned his head to look at her, his face lit up as their eyes met. "Sorry, I asked you to come along and now I'm making you sit here in silence." He added under his breath, feeling bad for making Elena feel on edge. "All these years later and Stefan's ways still rub off on me. All of our childhood consisted of him brooding and me taking the piss out of him for doing just that."

Elena chuckled, amused at the image that popped up in her head of a young Damon pulling Stefan's strings. Although she didn't know either of them very long, it was easy to notice that the two brothers had very contrasting personalities. The only attributes that they seemed to share were the good looks that clearly run in their genes.

"Yep, brooding isn't really your thing." She shifted her position, pulling up both knees to her chest. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

She leaned her forehead against the window, focusing on the bypassing views. Engaging in a conversation that wasn't their typical banter weighed too heavily on her and sharing eye contact would have made it that much more awkward, for Damon, for her. Just plain awkward.

"What makes you think something happened?"

The question felt way more risky than it should have, but Damon just wasn't the guy to talk about the things that bothered him, and Elena couldn't help but feel like this was some sort of a line that she had no business crossing.

"Well, you disappeared somewhere this morning and then came back an hour later and hijacked me on a road trip with no apparent destination." She bit her lip as if she was pondering over her thoughts. "But of course that could just be me reading into this way too much."

"You do have a tendency of overthinking, so I've noticed." He murmured with a chuckle, keeping his eyes on the road.

Elena rolled her eyes and reached for her phone, making an attempt at connecting it to the speakers and playing some music.

"I sense a sly attempt at averting the topic..." She countered, scrolling through her playlist.

She couldn't stand another second drowning in silence; that caused her mind to spiral, and that would come as no use to either of them. With the recent turn of events and the lowering of inhibitions, she figured it was best not to think these things through. Whatever happened in Italy, stayed in Italy.

"Why do I get the feeling that your music taste and I won't get along?" He watched as the light from the screen reflected onto her face, her doe eyes narrowing in on the small font.

He found that she looked ridiculously cute like that, scrunching up her nose and focusing so intently on selecting the right song.

"Either you're going to talk about what's making you all Stefan-like or we're going to be listening to Taylor Swift. I'm not up for another silent treatment, not unless you brought the bar along with you." The tone of her voice perked up towards the end.

"That's not fair, I can't drink if I'm driving." Damon frowned, throwing his head back and ultimately confirming her suspicion.

"And that doesn't explain why I have to be suffering with you." She leaned over the passenger seat, scouring through the bags in the backseat.

Damon keenly observed from the corner of his eye, finding it difficult to focus on the road with the caramel of her skin taunting his imagination, as the side of her thigh brushed against his arm. The view was far too tempting to resist, especially on a day like this when he desperately needed a distraction.

Elena continued to squirm around in the background, huffing and puffing, trying to find the alcohol and hopefully some clothes that she could change into. "Where's all my stuff?" She questioned, peeking over her shoulder at Damon.

He cleared his throat, re-gearing his thoughts back to the road and what Elena was talking about, rather than what they could be doing in the backseat of that car.

"It should be in there somewhere."

"Is this what you have in mind?" She threw a piece of clothing into his lap with a chilling glare, and honestly Damon had no clue what could have brought out such an eye-bulging reaction.

His forehead wrinkled in confusion as he examined the object with a befuddled gaze. Then, he felt the silk between his fingers and instantly knew that he was fucked.

"I swear I had no idea what this was" He sternly protested his innocence, withholding a laugh.

Elena didn't bother to conceal the scornful expression, struggling to believe that this was a coincidence. "Really, the only thing of mine in that bag is a skimpy black lace nightie and you expect me to believe that you didn't do this on purpose?"

"Now why would I do that. I thought that you're pretty much on board with sleeping naked, why add the extra layer?" He continued to tease.

"I am so _not _on board with that." She reiterated annoyed, climbing back into her seat, the bottle of liqueur now long forgotten. "It's different when you fall asleep after having sex."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "So, let's have sex."

A long sigh left her lips and suddenly she remembered just how much he could annoy her, and just how easy it was for him to get under her skin. "Damon, can you please be serious for a minute? I don't know where you're taking me or for how long, and I have nothing else to wear but this bikini and a useless cardigan."

"Again, I'm failing to see what the problem is."

"I swear to God-" The decibels in her voice picked up and she was so ready to go off on him.

Damon chuckled at her reaction, not expecting anything less. Things would be so much easier if Elena didn't look so good when she got all pent up about something, so sometimes he just couldn't help himself.

"I'm kidding, Lena. You're just so easy to bicker with." He added light-heartedly, hoping to put an end to her frustration. "And I guess I needed it today."

"Well, I'm glad that I could be of service, jackass." She huffed out, dragging her stare away from him.

He watched as Elena propped her bare legs up on the dashboard, probably trying to annoy him but ending up doing quite the opposite.

"Now, there's no need to be rude." Damon chided playfully. "I'm sure we'll find something in there, and if not, you can just wear something of mine. How does that sound?"

"Like you sabotaged this." She mumbled angrily, though they both knew that she wasn't angry.

Frustrated, annoyed, grumpy? Definitely. But that was their twisted dynamic; they fought like a cat and dog, for no apparent reason, raising the tension through the roof until they couldn't last any longer. And then, everything would fall into place.

"You up for a burger?" Now Damon was the one to question Elena with caution, hoping that food would prove to be the peacemaker.

"As long as I don't have to sit here with you."

The corner of his eyes crinkled, as a long sigh left his lips. He abruptly pulled over to stop the car on the right side of the road,

Elena looked at him disorientated, not sure where he was going with this and why the hell they were stopping in the middle of nowhere. "What are you doing?"

Damon put the gear in reverse and shifted his body to the side, the intense look in his icy orbs sent a chill down her spine, and she nervously drew her lower lip between her lips.

"I promise, I didn't do it on purpose." He declared apologetically, his voice sounding softer than usual.

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty, as she finally found the courage to gaze at him. "And why should I believe you?"

The corners of his lips tugged upwards in a jaded manner, as the question didn't surprise him in one bit.

"Honestly? Because lying to you doesn't sit right with me. You call things for what they are, and I respect that, so I don't feel like I have to lie to you. Making you feel uncomfortable was never on my agenda. There's a lot going on and I just wanted to get away from my dad and..."

"Rose?" Elena murmured, sensing the words felt like a jagged pill in his throat.

"Yeah, and Rose." He exhaled tiredly. "I need a timeout and being with you allows me to forget about all that crap. So, I grabbed the first few things that I saw and headed out to look for you."

Elena could have sworn that the small confession made her heart skip a beat, or something to that effect. _She _was Damon's escape?

Her chest rose as she took a deep breath, before exhaling. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened there?"

"Sure, after we grab a bite?"

Damon looked at her quizzically, searching for that hint of a smile that had become so familiar to him at this point.

"Okay." She responded softly, giving him a half smile.

This time they slipped into comfortable silence, accompanied by the sound of music playing out loud from the radio. It almost felt like each clash between them was inevitable and somehow, they always helped to clear their heads, speak their raw thoughts.

Maybe words spoken in anger seemed slightly easier to say out loud, but they also carried an element of truth to them, one that seemingly got lost when the mind would spiral, overthinking moments that would otherwise be simple, carefree.

_He said, "Let's get out of this town_

_Drive out of the city, away from the crowds"_

_I thought heaven can't help me now_

_Nothing lasts forever, but this is gonna take me down_

_He's so tall and handsome as hell_

_He's so bad but he does it so well_

_I can see the end as it begins_

_My one condition is_

_Say you'll remember me_

_Standing in a nice dress_

_Staring at the sunset, babe_

_Red lips and rosy cheeks_

_Say you'll see me again_

_Even if it's just in your_

_Wildest dreams, ah-ha oh_

_Wildest dreams, ah-ha oh_

_I said, "No one has to know what we do"_

_His hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room_

_And his voice is a familiar sound_

_Nothing lasts forever but this is getting good now_

_He's so tall and handsome as hell_

_He's so bad but he does it so well_

_And when we've had our very last kiss_

_My last request it is_

_Say you'll remember me_

_Standing in a nice dress_

_Staring at the sunset, babe_

_Red lips and rosy cheeks_

_Say you'll see me again_

_Even if it's just in your_

_Wildest dreams, ah-ha oh_

_Wildest dreams, ah-ha oh_

They pulled up at a sparse parking area next to a small diner, their stomach growling with hunger. They could have gone for something more sophisticated or classy but neither of them happened to pay too much attention to where they were going to eat. A break from the tightly confined space of the Camaro was very much needed, wherever it would be.

"Don't wait up for me, I'll meet you inside." Elena called out.

As soon as her feet touched the mucky ground, she shot both arms upwards, stretching her back and rolling her head to relax the neck and shoulders.

Watching as Damon circled the car with a glim look of intrigue painted on his face, she couldn't decipher if he was compelled by watching her withering around or if he was going to argue with her on this too.

But then he threw the car keys in her direction, motioning in her direction as he scratched the back of his head. "Make sure you lock up." He reminded her with caution before wandering off.

A dreamily sigh escaped her lips, watching him stroll his way through the parking lot, wearing black sunglasses that probably cost more than her monthly rent, and a sleek black t-shirt with a pair of shorts. So plain, yet so opposite of chaste. Wasn't that Damon's charm? Never trying too hard, not having a single care in the world, and still looking dangerously alluring, nevertheless.

_Alright Elena, get your head out the gutter._

There was no way that she could continue to allow her thoughts to wander in that direction; Damon was a distraction, a guilty pleasure that she shouldn't let herself overindulge with. It was now just a matter of days, soon enough hours, that he'd be gone from her life. Getting attached or forming some naive infatuation with him was the worst thing that she could do.

And if she had to be reminded of that every step of the way, then so be it.

Shaking out of the fleeting despair, Elena walked around to the back of the car and opened up the trunk to look through Damon's bag and find something else to wear. She picked out a grey t-shirt and threw it over her bikini top. The fit slim still came up quite loose on Elena's petite frame, reaching down to the top of her thighs. A small whiff of Damon's cologne hit differently this time, it felt oddly comforting and homely to be wearing something of his.

Whether it was a piece of Damon's clothing, his touch on her body or his lips on her skin, she wanted it.

And this small realisation made Elena feel the most vulnerable she'd ever felt, because somehow, she would have to learn how to go without it.

* * *

Upon entering the small diner, Elena was met with the sight of Damon leaning over the counter and mouthing something to the cute blonde at the till. His smile lit up a little too brightly as the girl pretended not to be shifted by his charm, twirling a strand of hair around her slender finger. Typical, acting all cute and innocent and thinking that's what all guys found attractive. Elena snorted to herself, mentally wanting to shake that girl out of it. Instead of doing just that and making a fool of herself, she headed for the rest room.

The image of the two of them flirting away and staring at each other like there was nobody else in that deadass cafe was nauseating. A knot formed in the pit of Elena's stomach, and honestly, she didn't like any part of this; not her reaction to it, nor Damon's flirting with a girl who blatantly wasn't her.

But there was also no part of Elena that understood exactly why she felt that way. Maybe it was because she never was _that_ girl. The one with the googly eyes and fluttering eyelashes, staring up at some random guy like he was her knight in shining armour. Elena just was not that type of girl. And maybe, after all, Damon was right, and she _was _a little Miss-I'm-Perfect and too good for everybody else.

Always pushing people away, always so damn sure that there's something better waiting for her along the way. That kind of mentality surely saved her from a couple failed relationships and full of pretence one-night stands, but could it have also stripped her of opportunities to just have fun, maybe develop a deeper connection with somebody else?

The root of her beliefs stemmed from the only true love that she'd witnessed in her short life, and that was the love that her parents shared for one another. Being a soppy teenager, a hopeless romantic, she always told herself that she'd never settle for anything less than that. The way that her dad looked at her mom with such love and admiration in his eyes. The way her mom comfortingly squeezed his hand whenever she'd walked past him, giving him a reassuring smile. Did love like that even exist anymore? Elena wanted to believe that it did, but really, what proof did she have? Absolutely none.

Romance was dead. The closest thing she'd seen to love nowadays was the random dude trying to get into her pants by throwing some cheap, cliché pick-up lines whilst pretending _not _to be looking at her cleavage. Then of course there was Matt making not so subtle suggestions of maybe moving in together, settling down somewhere down the line, but that was never something that she was on board with. Not with Matt. So, really that was it. No big love declaration, no promises of forever. Sad, right?

"Are you hiding from me?" Damon questioned with a raised brow when Elena walked out of the rest room, colliding with his chest.

She rolled her eyes, trying to push past him. "Are you now stalking local rest rooms?"

He smirked, blocking her way once again. "Only the ones you're hiding in."

Elena sighed annoyed, peering up at his drilling gaze that somehow always kept her grounded. He was a couple of inches taller, so her face was dangerously close to his heaving, rock-hard chest, and her fingers just itched to trail a path down his sternum, feeling the contour of those perfectly chiselled muscles. Clearly now she was the caveman, desperately trying to mark a territory that was never hers.

"Don't flatter yourself, I needed to use the bathroom." She added dismissively, as her jaw went slack. "Now will you stop getting on my nerves and get out of my way?"

"You sure it had nothing to do with me talking to the waitress?" He challenged cockishly.

That didn't sound like a question. He looked like he was damn sure of himself.

She nervously looked away, shaking her head defiantly.

"What you do, or should I say - _who _you do, in your spare time is none of my business."

"I saw you looking." He recited the statement like he'd observed her every move and analysed its meaning. "Those bambi eyes of yours don't bother hiding anything."

"How perceptive of you." Elena retorted with sarcasm. "Did they tell you how much I want to smother you with a pillow right now?"

"You have that urge every time that I'm around." He mused dismissively and closed the distance between them by planting one hand on the wall. "But right now, they're telling me that you're lying."

Elena swallowed nervously, struggling to uphold the fierce battle of pretences. The assertiveness that he displayed was beginning to tear her down, and some ridiculous part of her was whispering words of encouragement, making it seem like admitting to it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Catastrophic. That is what it would be.

"I couldn't care less about your bimbos." The expression on her face hardened, as she tried to stand her ground.

Damon watched as her nostrils flared in that typical manner whenever she grew angry, the chocolate lava of her eyes darkening from milk chocolate to noir. But he had been around for long enough to understand what that look meant, and he'd seen it today on Elena when she sped away after seeing him with another girl.

And it was understandable. For some twisted reason that made no sense at all, he didn't want to picture Elena with another guy either. Not when they were here together, doing whatever it was that they were doing. But he still wanted Elena to admit that she was jealous. Why was it so important for Damon to hear those words come out of her mouth? That was something he didn't quite understand himself.

"If you say so." He finally added after a moment of silence, setting his mouth into a hard line.

Elena seemed relieved that he dropped the subject, releasing a small breath that she had been holding for far too long. "Good, now can we go and eat?"

He lifted his arm, allowing her to walk past him. Now watching Elena make her way to the table, he picked up on the fact that she was wearing his shirt and a lopsided grin crept up onto his face.

"What?" She sized him up, noticing the lingering stare.

"It looks good on you."

The corners of her mouth lifted. "I know."

* * *

**A/N:** Hello! I am back, so sorry about the late update. It seems like the harder I try to get a chapter out early, life and work just keep throwing me obstacles. But hooray, here it is! Thank you so much for your reviews and constant support, it means the world. This was one was more about seeing the dynamic between the two, studying how time is changing the characters and their relationship. So not much happening, but important to the story and hope you enjoyed it. Stay safe everyone! xx


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The dinner went by rather uneventfully, minus the waitress gawking at Damon every chance she got and interrupting their meal every five minutes to 'check' if they needed anything else. 'They' referred to Damon, as the girl didn't even as much as blink in Elena's direction. This reminded Elena of high school, except this time she was on the opposite end of the spectrum, feeling like the unpopular, shy girl hanging around the most popular guy at school and competing for his attention with a cheerleader.

Although much to Elena's surprise, Damon didn't entertain the flirtatious interaction. At least not since he had initially dazzled her with those charming icy blue eyes when he first entered the restaurant. Thinking about it that way made Elena realise that she couldn't place much blame on that girl. She simply fell under his spell, just like most did whenever Damon gave them the 'look'.

"You've got a little something here." Damon reached over the table to wipe away some sauce from the corner of her lips, pulling Elena from her thoughts.

The tip of his thumb gently caressed her bottom lip in the process, lingering there for a few seconds. With anyone else this moment would have been awkward, but with Damon, something so mundane turned into something sensual.

"Thanks." She mumbled out, a fresh blush tainting her cheeks. "Did you decide where we're going to?"

"Nope." He replied simply, folding his arms on the table.

"Whatever you're running from can't be that bad, Damon." She chirped in cautiously.

"I'm not running. Just postponing the inevitable." He shrugged.

"Which is?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled with humour. "You're making it sound pretty damn simple."

"I just think that by putting this off, you're only going to make it worse. The anticipation, the overthinking, it doesn't lead to anything good."

"Believe it or not, that's usually not my thing."

"I know that all too well, after all aren't you the one who told me to take the leap?" She rolled her eyes, reminding him of all the times that he'd shown her how to let things go.

"With what?"

"For one, allowing you to corrupt me?" She smiled suggestively, and they both laughed at the comparison.

"So, is that what I'm doing, corrupting you?" He smirked, leaning back in his chair.

"Well yeah, kind of. I was a perfectly good girl before I met you, never had a one-night stand, never really dared to live." A reminiscent tone laced her voice. "And now look at me; sitting with you in a diner in the middle of nowhere, half naked, laughing about it."

Damon watched as Elena fumbled with a piece of tissue, smiling candidly whilst elaborating on her story. She'd come a long way in the space of a couple of days, opening up to him and letting her guard down, but so did he.

He was a dick on most days to most people, if not everyone. And at the beginning he used to just pull at Elena's strings for the fun of it. There was no part of him that wanted to play nice.

Now, Damon couldn't imagine being so cold and distant with Elena. Being around her made him softer, gentler, all together not very Damon-like to those that thought they knew him.

"I like that version of you." He admitted faint heartedly.

"The half-naked one?"

"I personally prefer when it's all off. But that's not what I meant." He laughed, shaking his head. "I liked you from the start. The pain in the ass Elena, but also the fun and opinionated one. The one who doesn't take shit from anybody. Especially not from me."

"If I recall correctly, that's when we practically bit each other's heads off."

"Sure, we clashed, but isn't that what makes this more enjoyable?"

"The fighting and the screaming? Your idea of enjoyment is a bit screwed up." She chuckled

"That's what makes us so good in bed."

"Nah, that's just me." She added and giggled at her own joke, her nose scrunching up.

Damon joined in, laughing alongside Elena, more at her silliness and childlike humour than the joke itself, but there just was something so contagious about her. He could swear that whenever she'd walked into a room or smiled, everything around seemed brighter and better.

"You ready to get out of here?" Damon asked, as they both came down from the laughing fit.

"More than you know." Elena threw her head back and exclaimed satisfied.

"Hey, I think this is for you." She unfolded the piece of paper that she'd scrunched up and handed it over to Damon. "I didn't notice that there was something written on it."

Damon leered at the phone number dotted on the piece of paper and then darted his eyes back to the waitress who winked at him from the across room. He then watched as Elena began to gather her things, sliding her phone back into her purse, very obviously trying to mind her own business and not pass a judgement on him. To the naked eye, Elena didn't seem all that bothered by it and that was the green light that he needed, right?

"Earth to Damon?" Elena waved a hand in front of him as she appeared by his side of the booth, working on putting her hair into a high ponytail.

Damon scrunched up the piece of paper again and placed it strategically next to the tip. "Let's go."

"Why'd you do that?" Her eyes lit up.

He stood up, slipping the wallet into the back pocket of his jeans and leaned in, cupping Elena's cheeks and planting a short, sweet kiss on her parted lips. Elena stilled at first, completely taken back, but quickly eased into the comfort and warmth of Damon's lips, returning the kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked a little breathlessly when he pulled away.

"No reason." He replied simply, placing a hand on the bottom of Elena's lower back, leading her towards the door.

* * *

"Oh let's pull over here!" Elena called out, sticking her head out the window as they drove past a small lake.

"There's a parking spot right there, and maybe we can catch the sunset." She climbed back into her seat, her face beaming with excitement as she turned towards Damon.

"Mm, I don't know, is there anything else you wanna try to ply me with?" He chuckled, amused by her spontaneous reaction to the world's most simple things, like a secluded lake.

She hit him playfully but failed to wipe the smile from her face. "For the last time, we are not having sex in the back of this car."

"On the hood?" He proposed, raising a brow.

"No." She replied sternly, watching him pull over in the spot that she directed him to.

"So where do you want to do it?"

"Is this how you pick up all these girls that eat from the palm of your hand?"

His forehead creased in contemplation. "I've never really had to work this hard before. I give them the look, they throw their arms around my neck, you know how it goes."

"Ugh, disgusting." Elena blinked dismissively, getting out of the car.

Damon switched off the engine and followed in Elena's steps, walking down a gravel path and heading towards the empty lake dock.

"That's a little hypocritical of you, don't you think?" He questioned, wondering out loud.

"Are you trying to say that I'm just like them?" Elena abruptly turned around outrightly offended, her eyes widened in shock.

"No,"

She cut him off before he could explain. "The only guy that I throw my arms around is _you_. The only guy that I kiss is _you_. So, please, don't compare me to all the other girls who open their legs for you one night, and then move onto someone else the next."

She turned around on her heel and continued walking.

Damon sighed, cursing himself for being an idiot. "That's not what I meant!" He called out after Elena, catching up to her.

"So then enlighten me, what _did_ you mean?" She didn't try to conceal the sarcasm, as she sat down on the edge of the deck and began to remove shoes from her tired feet.

Damon propped himself next to her, securing his hands on either side of him.

"You're nothing like them." He reiterated, watching Elena dangle her feet in the water. "I guess what I meant is that's how it usually goes with us. We share one look, and all goes to hell. We're not all that great with words."

"Yeah, I guess we're not." She agreed reluctantly with a small sigh. "Sorry."

"Me too." He smiled faintly and gazed up at the grey clouds collating in the sky. "Not so sure about that sunset."

Elena laughed tiredly, shaking her head. "Today's just not a good day, is it."

She leaned back and laid down, leaving her feet in the cool water and staring up at the sky. Damon mirrored her movements and they now laid next to each other, listening to the sound of water lapping.

"Rose never cheated on me."

The declaration spurred out of nowhere, and Elena's breath hitched in her throat.

"Did she tell you that?"

He sighed, folding both arms under his head. "She said that she staged the whole thing to make me jealous. To see if I still loved her."

"And how does that make you feel?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know, it's fucked up, isn't it? That's not just weird in my book, right?"

"Yeah, that's totally fucked up." She blew out a sigh of relief, glad to know that he wasn't acting completely crazy.

Would he take Rose back? Did he regret leaving the relationship behind? Those were just the first few questions circling Elena's mind.

"And that's what I told her. But then she brought up all these times that I wasn't there for her, going to sleep not knowing if I loved her. And I don't know, I guess it made me realise how shitty I was towards her."

"So you think that it's your fault?"

"No." He said sharply, but then grimaced. "Maybe it is, I don't know. I was a dick to her most of the time, I knew that she wanted so much more than I was willing to give her. For the longest time I thought that I loved her, but I was so far off."

"She could have walked away. You didn't make her stay." She pointed out, not being able to accept the fact that Damon was the only one who'd been in the wrong.

"So, you don't think that I had any part in this?" He sounded surprised.

"I don't know, Damon. You're the only one who can answer that question." Elena shrugged her shoulders. "But I do know that no relationship is perfect, and that fault usually lays on both sides, at least to some extent. If you knew that you didn't love Rose then yeah, you should have let her go. But that doesn't make it okay for her to try and manipulate you by using guilt and jealousy."

"Yeah, it seems like we are beyond repair anyway."

"Are? Hasn't it been awhile since you two broke up?"

"It has." Damon confirmed with a nod. "That didn't stop her from asking me to give us another chance."

"Oh…" The word left her lips uncontrollably, like someone had stolen the ground from beneath her feet.

"Yeah."

His voice beamed loudly with uncertainty, and Elena could only imagine the internal battle of thoughts that played out in his head. Gosh, how much she would give to be able to catch a glimpse of what he was thinking.

"Well, what did you say?" She chewed on her lip tremulously, waiting for his reply.

"That I'd think about it."

"Is this you thinking about it?"

"I don't know." He turned to face Elena for the first time since they started this conversation. "She's leaving for the airport right about now, and I was supposed to let her know before she left."

"Do you want to head back to the hotel?"

Everything in Damon protested against the possibility. This right there felt good. Being in the middle of nowhere with no one else around, without the pressure to be someone he wasn't. Looking back at his adult life and all of its ups and downs, Damon couldn't pinpoint a single moment in which he felt this carefree and at peace.

"Honestly? No."

"So, let's stay. Here or somewhere else," Elena hummed softly, a sparkle in her eyes. "It's not like we have anywhere to be for the next two days."

"You'd want to do that?" He questioned, cocking an eyebrow. "Be stuck with me for the whole two days, away from everything else?"

"I'm stuck with you right now, and it's not so bad."

The frown of suspicion on his face now turned into a smirk. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you."

"Don't hold it against me If I go crazy." She countered, smiling up at him.

Damon returned the smile, any signs of previous stress and tension left his body, as he scooted himself up on one elbow and leaned over Elena, studying the delicate contours of her face. It was starting to get dark, as the clouds settled in and a colder wind wrestled its way through the fields and branches, leaving a trail of goose bumps on her exposed skin.

He gently pressed his palm against Elena's cheek, brushing away the messy strands of hair that fell down the side of her face. They spent a few seconds just staring at each other like that, not in a rush to end the moment, with no place to go. The glowing appreciation shone bright on Elena's face, as she drowned in the depths of smoldering gaze, once again forgetting who she was and why the hell she would wake up regretting this the next day.

But then Damon captured Elena's mouth in a fierce kiss and instinctively tangled her fingers into his dark hair, pulling him on top of her, pressing every inch of herself against him. And regardless of what anyone tried to tell her, this was right.

They went the whole day without as much as a touch, not counting the innocent kiss at the diner that totally took Elena by surprise. But that was different, it was sweet and short, like they'd known each other for the longest time and that was their way of saying 'we're good'.

Now Damon's mouth was teasing hers with languid, sensual kisses that shot chills straight down her spine, and she hungrily reciprocated the passion that he poured into these ministrations. Simultaneously, his hand slipped under her shirt, the tip of his fingers skirted along her lower abdomen, stopping right above the warmth of his skin burned to the touch, awakening every nerve in Elena's body and eliciting acute moans that he swallowed with every kiss.

Not wanting to wait any longer, she reached for the hem of Damon's t-shirt and tried pulling it off rather messily, bumping his head in the process. He grinned against her mouth, pausing their kiss to help her undress him, and once they'd successfully taken it off, he threw it somewhere to the side.

Elena bit down on her swollen lip, her eyes roaming over Damon's bare chest, devouring the faint outline of his abdominal muscles. Perfection was the only word that came to mind. Needing to close the unwanted space between them, she reached out and ran her hand down his sternum, brushing past his nipples, making sure to hold their eye contact.

There was something special in watching the desire flooding his gaze, darkening the pool of his orbs, knowing that was the power that _she_ had over him. Giving him a slow, carnal smile that translated all of her desires into a single look, Elena pushed herself up on her elbows and slid off her shirt, remaining in nothing but the skimpy bikini that she had been wearing underneath. Feeling Damon beginning to lean in, she reached behind her back and untied the knot of the bikini top, releasing her breasts from their confines.

Damon's mouth partially gaped at the sight, unleashing the self-restraint that he had managed to keep locked up until then. He hungrily recaptured her lips and began untying the knot at her neck to completely rid her of the bikini top. Once it was off, he delicately cupped one breast, tracing tiny circles around the nipple with his thumb, feeling it harden under his touch. Elena gasped into his mouth, as her breath began to shorten, and her entrance grew slick with desire.

Much to Elena's disappointment, the delicious teasing came to end when Damon moved his hand up into her hair, providing for extra support as he laid her flat on the deck, supporting his weight with the other hand. As he hovered over, a droplet of water slid down her shoulder and dropped onto her collarbone, prompting Elena to crook one eye open. It had gone unnoticed by both of them that it had started raining and all of their stuff was slowly soaking up, leaving them with ruined clothes and no place to warm up.

"Wanna move this somewhere else?" He proposed, gently nipping her earlobe.

"I'm good here." She managed to breathe out when his lips reached her ear. "You?"

"Perfect."

He smiled against her skin, planting kisses down her neck and occasionally gently grazing it with his teeth, which Elena welcomed with enthusiasm, arching into him and providing easier access to the spot next to her jugular. By now he'd learnt that she loved being kissed right there.

With steady hands, she reached for the zipper in his pants, pulling it down in one swift motion. Maybe if she'd taken a second to pause and look at this with a sober mindset, she'd feel ashamed for taking all that she desired so boldly, but for once it felt good not to dwell in the what if's.

They kicked off his shorts in a messy manner, not giving a single care in the world, when Damon's palm snaked under her bikini bottom and his fingers wandered to the place where she'd craved him the most, slipping into her wetness. Elena whimpered at the sensation, as he slowly began to pump his finger in and out of her, whilst placing sweet pressure on her bundle of nerves. They continued to kiss in a haze, their hands roaming over their naked bodies, gifting each other with endless amounts of pleasure; not at all in a rush to get anywhere, just simply drowning in the moment.

* * *

They laid down for a while after that, drifting in and out of sleep, despite being out in the cold, as night-time crept up on them.

"We should probably get going." He whispered, pressing his lips against her temple.

"No, I don't want to." She whined in protest, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

He ran his hand up and down her naked back in a soothing motion, sporting a soft smile. "We have to, you'll catch a cold."

"That's fine, I don't mind."

"Yeah, that's until you get sick. And then you'll be all, Damon, you're a jackass."

She giggled, lifting her head. "I've never done such a thing."

"Mm, not since a couple of hours ago." He rolled his eyes, sitting up.

He gathered Elena's clothes, passing them over to her and then worked on getting himself dressed. This wasn't the most comfortable place to have sex and the pain in his knees reminded him of that, but he still didn't regret any part of it. He enjoyed every minute, probably more than he liked to admit to himself.

"Are we sleeping in your car?" Elena asked, slipping on the t-shirt.

"No way, we're getting a hotel room." Damon rejected the notion with a stern shake of the head, the last thing he needed was sleeping in the most uncomfortable position, scrunched up in the Camaro.

"Good luck finding one at this time." She interjected with a mumble, following him to the car.

"Oh, I will. Pass me the keys?"

Elena raised an eyebrow and gave him a questioning look. "Why would I have the keys? It's your car."

"Elena, this isn't funny." He sighed, putting his hand out.

"I wasn't trying to be funny, Damon." She huffed out, annoyed. "You never gave me the keys."

The colour drained from his face, as he frantically patted down all his pockets and still found nothing. "Well then where the hell are they?"

"Please, don't tell me that you lost them?"

"I didn't lose them, you did." He grumbled under his breath, getting down on his knees and searching around the car.

"I never had them!"

"Will you stop shouting and turn on the flashlight, you know, be helpful or something?"

Elena glared at him, albeit he couldn't see much of her expression in the dark. She took out her phone in order to turn on the flashlight, but the battery must have run out earlier on and she didn't realise it until now.

"Give me your phone."

"I left it in the car, use yours."

_Fuck._

"My battery is dead..." She added after a while.

"Are you being serious?"

"No, I felt like having a laugh in the middle of nowhere at midnight. Yes, I'm being fucking serious!"

Damon got back up on his feet, a heavy sigh leaving his lips, as he tiredly run his hand over his face.

"Okay, calm down." He squeezed her shoulder in a comforting manner. "We'll figure something out."

"Like what? We're basically stranded in the middle of nowhere." She began to panic, nervously tapping her fingers against her forearm, her eyes darting to the surrounding forests. "There are no houses around, no people, nothing. Just a dark forest, and I bet you that we don't wanna know what's hiding in there."

Damon immediately regretted his outburst, sensing that she was getting more and more anxious by the second. So, he did what he felt was best, and wrapped his arms around her petite frame.

"Hey, I'm here." He rested his chin against her forehead. "There's nothing to worry about, I won't let anything happen to you."

"Okay?" He checked in, scanning her face for any clues.

"Okay." She gave him a small nod, cosying up to his chest.

* * *

**A/N:** Surprise, early update! Very early for me, but your reviews were so lovely and motivating that I had to get this out asap. (Cannot say thank you enough!) I'm currently on a small vacation, so had the extra time to whip this up. I know, you're not fans of cliffhangers, but had to stop it there! I hope you enjoyed this one :) A little bit of smut, a little bit of serious Damon which we don't get to see much of. Thoughts? What are they going to do stranded in the middle of nowhere? Stay safe everyone! xx


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"We've been walking around for the past hour, my feet hurt and I'm hungry." Elena sighed, slowly beginning to lose hope that they'd ever get out of this mess. "Care to share any of those genius ideas to get us out of here?"

"I don't know, this could be fun after all." Damon mused enthusiastically as he shuffled along ahead of Elena, keeping an eye out on their surroundings.

"Which part of this screams fun to you?" A hint of annoyance was evident in her tone and Damon didn't have to look at her to know that she was rolling her eyes.

"The part when you finally succumb to the guilt that's been eating you up and apologise to me for losing the keys to my Camaro." He explained calmly, rather convinced that an apology was imminent sooner or later.

There was no way that Damon would ever lose the keys to _his _precious Camaro, the very same one that he was now desperately trying not to think about. He still couldn't fathom the fact that they had to leave it stranded on the side of the road.

But he was going to track down as soon as they got themselves out of this mess.

"I didn't lose them." Elena interjected through gritted teeth.

"Sure, stick to that version if it makes you feel better."

"First of all, I'm going to say this for the last time." Her volume rose with frustration. "I never had those stupid keys. And lastly, how is any of this supposed to make me feel better?!"

Damon stopped in his tracks and turned around, causing Elena to stumble right into his chest.

"Look on the bright side, you're getting all the adventure that you've been missing from your life." He teased with a lazy smirk.

A little banter never killed nobody.

"Are there any grizzly bears here?"

"Why?" His brows shot up.

"No reason. I'd just love to see you crap your pants."

Elena declared with a grave expression, her patience running low. This night turned out to be a nightmare. The evening, whilst perfect, was now long forgotten, just like the soft flaps of the butterflies in her stomach when Damon's lips caressed hers so tenderly.. Was that what love making felt like? _Scratch that. Not love making_. Whatever it was, it had nothing to do with love.

The more they got involved with each other, the more apparent it became that neither of them knew what love was.

Nevertheless, she couldn't overlook the fact that when Damon wanted to, he really could be a sweet, considerate guy. Albeit that mostly happened when they ended up in bed together. He'd never rush things when they were together; his focus was entirely on Elena and her pleasure rather than his own. And they could spend hours doing just that, which only made him so damn irresistible.

But the only feasible experience that she could compare this to was the relationship with Matt, during which things were very luck lustre. The whole point of their sex was to reach the peak and call it a day. With Damon? The faintest kiss awoke every nerve in her body whilst his hands skillfully navigated every curve like a map that he knew by heart.

And _then _there were moments like this when Damon pulled her back to reality, the feeling eerily similar to that of having an ice cold bucket of water poured over your head. There was absolutely nothing pleasant about it.

With the staring contest between them coming to an end, Damon continued to stroll ahead with Elena following closely behind. Annoying or not, Damon was all that she had right now and his usual commentary wasn't enough to send her away.

"Bingo."

He exclaimed proudly, as his fleeting figure blended into the thick branches. He held them back for Elena and at the same time urged for her to follow his steps.

"What is it?" She cautiously peeked over his shoulder only to be met with a disappointing sight.

"Our hotel for the night." The expression on his face screamed 'duh' and she shook her head in denial.

"A barn? _You _want to spend the night in an abandoned barn?"

He rolled his eyes. "Got any better ideas, princess?"

She failed to give him an answer, as the sound of thunder echoing in the distance was persuasive enough. The idea of spending the entire night in the woods during a storm made her shudder at the mere thought.

Her feet were now more than eager to catch up with Damon who'd marched off towards the barn without giving it any further thought. Observing it more closely as they approached, it was obvious that the barn had seen its better days; there was a wall of rotten wooden planks, some bales of hay chaotically stacked against the front and the structure of the barn itself appeared shaky, like a strong gust of wind would stand a good chance of blowing it away.

If that wasn't enough, the mere remoteness of the location added to the spookiness of this place. And oh how badly she wished that she had a better idea, but at the moment this haunted barn looked like their best bet.

"I hate you." Elena mumbled firmly, but the sound of Damon's throaty chuckle confirmed that the message had been received.

Elena's unwavering eyes wandered around the place some more, as her arms unnervingly hugged her frame as Damon made an attempt at swinging the barn doors open. Then there was a loud thud followed by the noise of a squeaky hinge and a sigh of relief escaping Damon's lips.

"Shall I carry you over the threshold?"

"Have I mentioned how annoying you are?"

"Once or twice." He stuck his head in through the door, taking a good look around to confirm that there weren't any unpleasant surprises waiting inside.

There were some stacks of hay stored, small feathers spread among the hay on the ground, a box of rusty nails and a muffled earthy smell lingering around.

"All clear." Damon gestured for Elena to walk in, which she did very reluctantly.

"See? Not as bad you thought it would be."

She pressed her lips together, glancing around as Damon shut the door behind them. "Get back to me on this tomorrow morning. I mean that's if we're still alive when morning comes."

"So what's the plan now?" She then asked tiredly, the long day was beginning to rub off on her. "This doesn't really solve our problem, we still have no means of contacting anyone."

"We sleep through the storm and head off tomorrow morning." He shrugged his shoulders and leaned down to prepare a spot for them to lay in. "We're bound to find a home or a gas station somewhere."

"That's the spirit." She murmured, feeling a sense of panic kick in as the flimsy barn did very little to block out the noises from outside.

Normally Elena enjoyed rainy weather, especially when she was cosied up in her apartment with a hot cup of tea; but paired with thunder and lightning it brought her back to a moment in time that she wished she could erase from her memory.

One that defined her entire life and left her a withering mess, riddled by anxiety and guilt.

"Come on, let's try to get some sleep." He mused softly, his eyes now barely open as he patted down the spot next to him.

She propped herself onto the hay and laid down on her side, closing her eyes. She was grateful for Damon's sweatshirt being so oversized and cosy, and more than anything; she was grateful to be stuck there with Damon, of all people. Their constant bickering and testing of each other's limits made for a good distraction at times.

And it's not like this was a blast for Damon; he was used to being in luxurious places, staying in five star hotels and laying in the sun by the pool - not hiking through the woods for adventure. All in all, he made sure to keep her from unravelling.

Whenever she lost her calm, he was _always _there.

"You okay?" He whispered a bit worried as he thought he'd overheard a sob.

"Yeah." She added with a small sniffle. "Sorry."

He scooted up closer, soothingly skimming his hand down Elena's arm; any desire to sleep had now evaporated into thin air.

Whatever was bothering Elena, also bothered Damon. He couldn't get to sleep knowing that she wasn't okay.

"It doesn't sound like you're fine."

She took a deep breath trying to stabilize her breathing.

"It's just a panic attack. I'm not great with thunderstorms."

"Come here," He found himself pulling Elena's slender body against his chest and protectively wrapping an arm around her waist.

She instantly melted into him, engulfed by the warmth and soothing motion of his thumb tracing tiny circles on her arm. There were no questions to follow; he simply cradled Elena in his embrace, waiting for her to calm down.

With the rain outside getting heavier and the creaking of the wood growing louder with each gust of wind, Elena couldn't bring herself to refuse the cocoon of safety that she was now drowning in. But somehow she couldn't shake the feeling that putting this much trust into Damon would prove to be the ultimate danger.

"Thank you." She bit on her lower lip, still facing away.

"Your heart is racing." He observed quietly, resting his head against hers. "Does this happen often?"

"Usually when there's a really bad storm or if I have a lot of stress. It passes after a couple of minutes." She offered with a helpless shrug. "It's gotten better with time though."

"How long have you had them for?"

"Since I was sixteen."

They slipped into silence with neither knowing what to say. The words sat on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't feel comfortable voicing them.

He then felt Elena shift in his arms, as she flipped onto her back. Avoiding his gaze at all costs, she absentmindedly played with the hem of the sweatshirt, visibly deep in thoughts.

"I was in a car accident with my parents. That night there was a really bad storm. The roads were slippery. We somehow drove off the bridge. I survived, but they didn't."

The confession rendered him speechless with his breath caught in his throat. His mind drew a blank as to what he could say to comfort her and the eerily blank expression on Elena's face that showed no emotion hit a little too close for comfort.

There was a flicker of detachment that reminded Damon so much of his own emotional turmoil, and he recognised it straight away. Grieve changed people, irrevocably stealing a part of them that could never be returned nor could it be filled with anything else.

The emptiness would always serve as a bittersweet reminder of what they'd lost. Damon knew that feeling all too well, as the death of his mother still haunted him fifteen years later.

"I'm so sorry Elena."

She gave him a faint smile. "That's okay. It happened a long time ago, I've accepted it for the most part."

"Is that how you got that scar?" The question came out as his palm briefly wandered just under her ribcage.

"You noticed that?"

"I notice a lot of things about you." He replied softly with a hint of a smile. "I'll have you know I'm quite observant."

"That's kind of creepy." She remarked jokingly, biting the lower lip.

"Creepy or romantic?"

"Damon Salvatore - a romantic at heart? That's kind of hard to believe."

Damon chuckled at the statement, which wasn't really far from the truth. He was never big on romantic gestures, but lately he'd found himself going out of his way more than he ever used to, even surprising himself in the process.

"Clearly you're not as observant as I am."

She watched as a glimmer of something she couldn't quite pin down flashed across his face; was it disappointment? Had she said something stupid?

"Have you seen anyone about those panic attacks?" He shortly followed with concern, changing the subject.

"I had a counsellor, and she was an absolute bitch, so not since then." She nervously chewed on her lower lip, as the images of that dark period flashed in her mind. "I don't like thinking about it, let alone talking about it to a stranger."

"But maybe that's something that would help you?"

"It's not worth the hassle. Nor is it worth your concern, I'm fine." She added dismissively, releasing a deep breath. "But thank you. For everything."

Damon wanted to argue with Elena on this one, but being able to place himself in her shoes had steered him away from doing so. He'd experienced it first hand; the grieve, the denial and the numbness to everything that happened.

And it wasn't his place to teach Elena how to deal with mourning. After all, where did his method of coping ever get him?

"No problem." The corners of his lips gently tugged upwards, as he slowly lowered himself back down.

"Goodnight, Damon." Elena added softly once Damon returned to his original position, still keeping her close.

"Goodnight, Elena."

* * *

The morning came quickly and with it came a clearer sky, as the rain had finally subsided. That night sleep did not come easily, their minds were both occupied with a storm of thoughts despite the absolute tiredness from the heck of the day that they had. With that it was a relief that daylight had finally arrived as they were now able to continue their search for civilization.

After walking for around two miles down a long empty road, they spotted a gas station in the distance and the tension finally eased off of them, with the feeling of hopelessness subsiding. The shopkeeper let Damon use the phone and although reluctant at first, he decided to dial Giuseppe's number as that was the only one that he remembered off the top of his head.

Elena perked up seeing Damon exiting the shop, her doe eyes widening in anticipation of some good news.

"Please tell me someone is coming to our rescue?" She pleaded as Damon walked over to her, as the expression on his face didn't look very promising.

"Uh yeah, my dad is sending someone to pick us up from here." He muttered dismissively.

"So, what's wrong?"

The feeling of concern grew when Damon didn't answer the question. "Did something happen?"

"Rose was in an accident."

Now that he'd said the words out loud it finally registered with him and he was overwhelmed with this sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Oh my gosh, is she okay?" Elena's mouth gaped slightly open.

Damon shook his head in consternation. "I don't know, she was on her way home after getting off the plane in New York."

"My dad's arranging for me to fly back today, he wants me to be there." He added almost absentmindedly, swallowing nervously. "I need to be there."

"Yeah of course." Elena nodded in agreement and placed her palm against his neck, forcing him to look at her. "Hey, I'm sure everything is going to be okay."

There was a flicker of uncertainty in the way that she looked at him, but right now all that Damon could focus on was the warmth of her hands that brought a sense of calmness over him, keeping his mind from wandering.

He wanted to kiss her and it would be so easy for him to bring their lips together, but it wouldn't be right. Not when he was gobbled with the thought of Rose, wondering if she was okay or not. It was a paralysing thought, one that he desperately wanted to rid himself of - but he knew Giuseppe all too well and the distress in his voice over the phone was something that Damon rarely saw from his father. After all, Giuseppe thought of Rose as the daughter that he never had - she'd been a constant in both of their lives, despite their ups and downs.

Not too long after the phone call, the car that Giuseppe sent out for them pulled up at the parking lot and Elena couldn't be more relieved at the sight. With everything happening so suddenly, she quickly felt out of place; there was nothing that she could to ease Damon's concerns and given the circumstances it seemed like it wasn't appropriate of her to interject.

Whatever they had was fake, whilst the relationship that Rose and Damon shared at some point _was _real, and right now this entire set up had become irrelevant - it was just a silly ruse that in the scheme of things meant nothing.

They made their way back to the resort and almost immediately Damon started packing his bags, throwing everything that he could find into the suitcase. He then took a quick shower needing to refresh himself and hoping that would provide some clarity to his mind. His flight was in three hours and Giuseppe was waiting for him at the front desk, impatient and visibly exhausted - apparently he'd been searching for Damon since he'd received the phone call that Rose was in an accident.

"Did you manage to pack everything you need?" Elena asked, biting her lip as she rested against the doorframe.

She'd spent the last few minutes outside on the balcony, not wanting to disturb Damon in any way. Frankly, it was a good idea for her to step aside and give them both space.

"Yeah, think so." He let loose a long sigh. "Are you gonna be okay up here?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She dismissed with a shake of the head. "Besides, my flight leaves tomorrow night so I won't be here for long."

There was a slight grimace on his face that perfectly encompassed his frustration and worry at leaving Elena there by herself.

"I'm sorry about this, Elena." He said apologetically, looking at her with thoughtfulness. "I hate leaving you like this, but I have to go."

"Stop apologising. I understand that you have to be there for Rose, I totally get that." She chided before giving him a hug. "Be safe, okay?" He heard as she whispered into his chest.

"You too." He murmured, kissing the top of her head. "If you need anything, speak to Lorenzo, I left his number on the desk. I will call you when I land, okay?"

"Sounds good."

"Can I see you in New York?" He proposed as his icy blues narrowed in on her.

"Sure." She nodded with a brief smile.

* * *

"And then what?!" The blonde questioned in awe as her blue eyes flashed wide for an instant.

"And then nothing." Elena shrugged her shoulder. "I haven't heard from him since." She added casually, collecting the empty coffee mugs from the table.

"So, he didn't call or text or nothing?"

"Nope."

"Did you try to text him?" Caroline pondered as she began to wipe down the table.

"You know Elena, of course she didn't." Bonnie chipped in, rolling her eyes. "She's convinced that she has no feelings for the guy, can you believe it?"

"No way, are you blind? How can you not have feelings for him?"

Elena mumbled something incoherent on her way to the counter, as she placed down the tray of dirty dishes next to the sink behind the bar. It had been a week since she had come back to New York from Sicily and the lack of news from Damon drove her mad - so mad that she'd already gone back to working at the café to keep her mind off of it.

There was a text message - one, that confirmed that he landed and was on the way to the hospital. But that was the last she heard from Damon and it bothered her more than she liked to admit. Before leaving Stefan told her that Rose was in a stable condition and she was so relieved to hear it, but it baffled her as to why Damon wasn't the one to reach out about it.

Maybe it was selfish of her to think that she was on his mind during this time, but it would have been nice to hear back from him, after everything.

"Why would I have feelings for him? He's obviously gone back to Rose."

"I refuse to believe that, you said that she asked him to choose her and what did he do?" Bonnie questioned rhetorically. "He made sweet love to you on the deck!"

Caroline gasped. "He did not, why am I just hearing about this now?"

"Because I don't like to brag about my sex life?" Elena countered with a stern glare. "Thanks Bonnie. My entire workplace needed to hear that."

"Sorry.." Bonnie's lips stretched into a tight line. "But on a serious note, don't you think you're overreacting? I'm sure he's been super busy with everything, maybe you should text him first."

"Even if this was a good idea - and it's not," Elena interjected, "How would I do that? I don't have his number, he never got his phone back. He left it in the car and by the time they had it towed, Damon was already on his flight to New York."

"What about the number that he texted you from to let you know that he landed?"

"I'm pretty sure that was Giuseppe's phone. And before you say anything else - no, I'm not going to text his dad."

"So what, that's it? You're never going to see him again?"

Elena looked up to see both of her best friends leaning over the counter, practically on the edge of their seats as they awaited a response.

"I guess not." She mumbled with a hint of disappointment and returned back to work. "Can we please not talk about this anymore?"

Her world was not going to stop spinning just because Damon didn't bother to call. Their story was always going to end in Italy and she should have never let herself think otherwise.

She couldn't possibly have actual feelings for Damon, right?

* * *

**A/N:** Hiiiii! I come with a very late update, again, sorry for the wait. I was blown away by your positive feedback for the last chapter, thank you so much for leaving reviews/following the story/ adding it to your favourites - it means so much :) What do you think of this one? I think Elena has some hard thinking to do.. and Damon? Well, we'll see what Damon has been up to in the next chapter ;) Please leave a review, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Also, yes - I will be updating 'Never Really Over' and 'Home Is Where You Are' sometime this week hopefully. I promise, I will never abandon any of my stories. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to update as I don't always have the time to write. But I promise, those chapters are currently in the works :)

Stay safe everyone! xx


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